Alive Again
by twiXlite
Summary: Sequel to "Saving Edward". To understand please read "Saving Edward" first. When Edward is released from hospital he finds life on the outside more challenging than he once thought. Can Bella help him through? Read to find out. ExB
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**PROLOGUE**

**BPOV**

_As I pressed my lips to his one last time, I felt him go limp in my arms as the hand that he had held to my face fell and hit the floor beneath us with a hollow thud._

_I opened my eys to see his beautiful green eyes staring lifelessly back at me, and I couldn't hold back the enormous cry of despair, longing and grief that escaped my throat at that moment in time._

_I sat there, rocking the lifeless body of my love backwards and forwards, somehow wishing for the last few minutes to rewind and never happen. It seemed like an eternirt before someone approached me._

_"Bella," It was Carlisle. Someone had called him and of course he had gotten here so soon. It was his son they were calling about. Everything and anything else could wait. He grasped my shoulder tightly, but not painfully as he looked upon his dead son, tears falling freely down his cheeks. "Bella.....he's gone." He whispered. "He's gone."_

_"No," I squeaked, holding him ever tighter to me, looking at Carlisle, but unable to see him clearly through the my tears, and shaking my head in despair. "He can't be gone. He just can't be. It's not fair. He didn't deserve this. He deserved to live a long, happy, healthy life. After everything that he's been through. We......we just got him back!"_

_I was in hysterics now. I didn't care. I didn't care that I was sat on the floor of the cafeteria with practically the whole school watching my breakdown. I didn't care that people were staring at me. All I cared about was the boy in my arms. The one that I had shared dreams and hopes with. The dreams and hopes that he would now never be able to fulfill._

_All I wanted was the love of my life back._

_I wanted Edward._

_I wanted him to suddenly take a huge breath, blink his eyes and smile that crooked smile that I loved at me, stating that he couldn't hold his breath any longer. I wanted it to be a joke. I would have thought that it was the meanest joke in history, but I would just be happy that he was still here. That was all I wanted._

_But I knew that wasn't going to happen._

_Stuff like that only happens in the movies and in novels. This was real life, and there are no miracles in real life. There are no second chances. You got what life threw at you and you dealt with it. You didn't have a choice._

_I remember Edward once telling me something. Something that makes a lot of, if not perfect sense to me now: Death is peaceful. Easy. Life is harder. He had no idea how true is words were to me right there and then, watching his life slip away from me, feeling it ebb from under my fingers and knowing damn well that there was nothing I could do to stop it. I couldn't save him. No one could._

_I heard people around me sobbing and sniffing. I wanted to turn around and tell them all to fuck off. That none of them other than his family had any right, or were allowed to mourn him. They had all been so cruel to him. All because of some stupid rumours that people had made up out of jealousy and cruelty. I had no doubts as to who were behind them. They shouldn't be allowed to mourn and grieve for him. This perfect creature in my arms. The one who had been through so many hardships in his short life, overcome them and still come out stronger. It didn't seem right for them to mourn him. It was all out of place._

_Looking at him as my how tears spilled down onto his lifeless face, I looked into those beautiful eyes that had left me breathless and weak at the knees so many times before. I found nothing. Nothing of my love remained there._

_We thought that we had beaten it. That everything was okay. All those months in therapy, that time at the clinic, all those tears that had been shed, and the months apart. The teenage years that he had lost, that we had thought we could attempt to get back. All that was for nothing. We thought that we were stronger than that._

_We were wrong._

_In the end the strain of everything that had happened over the last few months, well over the last few years had taken its toll on his body and heart. He couldn't take the strain and stress of life. He hadn't been strong enough like we had hoped, like we had thought he was._

_The illness had won._


	2. He's Home

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**_6 MONTHS PREVIOUS_**

**BPOV**

Even though I had not been able to stay with Edward throughout the last months of his treatment, I still went to see him as often as I could. Most of the time I would have to be in school so I would have to wait until the weekend to see him, which was hard at first for the both of us but we alwaysmade the most of our time together and even though I protested greatly each time, Carlisle insisted on paying for me to stay in a hotel every weekend I went to see Edward. Which to be fair was every weekend. I would have to pay Carlisle back at some point. I didn't like the fact that he was always paying for me to go and stay in Seattle. It didn't seem fair.

Over the past year the Cullens had become family to me. The family I wished that I could have had with my parents. Not the small family I had with them. If it was what you could call a family. My parents living on opposite sides of the country, never really speaking to each other unless it was about me and even then it was quick, fleeting conversations that held little or no emotion at all. I had always longed for a brother or sister, and now I had two of each, along with the love of my life, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen.

They had become like family to me, to the level where neither family - myself, Jasper, Emmett Rosalie and Alice - bothered to knock anymore when visiting each others houses. I had a key to the Cullen household and each of them had a key to mine, something Charlie was surprisingly okay with, as he knew how important to me they all were. They were a second family. I spent a lot of my time over at the Cullens' house. Alice loved to play what she had called "Bella Barbie" and constantly tortured me with extensive shopping trips in either Olympia or Seattle. Even though she was extremely hyperactive, could talk for America and constantly tortured me, Alice was a little sister to me and I loved her. Rosalie on the other hand, although she loved shopping as much as Alice did, was like me in a lot of ways. Even though she was gorgeous, to the extent where she could rival any model she wished, she was unusually shy. She didn't really like to speak up, something that both she and I shared. We had become close during the time that I had known her and she often told me how much she felt like I was a part of their family.

Emmett and Jasper were surprisingly similar, for looking so different. Emmett was huge. A walking boulder, but we all knew that he was a teddy bear on the inside, only capable of hurting those that hurt his family. Just as he had done when we discovered Mike Newton was spreading rumours about Edward. I had never seen Emmett so angry before, and being honest, it scared me a little. Mike had learnt from that incident not to say anything about Edward or the rest of the Cullens' again. He had once made a snipe at me, when Emmett was behind him, not realising how protective Emmett had become of me, and lets just say, he won't be making any more jibes at me. Jasper was in some ways, like Emmett but in a lot of ways he was like Edward. He was protective of his family, like Emmett was and he could be quite scary when he needed to be, but again he was as soft as Emmett was underneath. It was all for show really. But he was also extremely sensitive and caring. It was almost like he could sense what those around him were feeling and help them work it out. It was hard to ever feel uncomfortable and uneasy around Jazz. He just had that kind of persona.

The happiest day of my life so far had been the day Edward had been discharged from the clinic.

He had been in there from the middle of October to when he was released at the beginning of June, eight months after he had been admitted. So it was a great day for us all. Most of the time, patients spent three to six months in the clinic, so Edward's initial reluctance to accept the treatment they were offering had taken its toll. Something that, when I had heard, had almost shattered my heart into a thousand pieces, because the longer it took Edward to respond to the treatment, the longer he would be in there and the longer we would be apart.

He had also had to endure James' trial in the middle of his treatment. The clinic were set against him testifying, but the courts claimed that without Edward, then they had no evidence to hold against James and he would have to be released. After having to deal with the stress of the trial, Edward had taken several steps backand withdrawn into himself again, refusing food and sessions with Derek just as he had done in the beginning. It was tough for him, but he managed to get through and work his was up to being released. All on his own. Even though I had lengthy phone conversations with him each night, I didn't go back and stay. The clinic said that I was welcome to but I knew that if Edward were to really build up his strength then this was something he had to do on his own. And even though it pained me to do so, I remained in Forks during the week and stayed in Seattle over the weekends.

I had never seen him looking so happy or healthy as the day he stepped out of the clinic to restart his life. As I promised I was waiting there for him on the steps that led up to the clinic as he walked through the doors. He smiled as he saw me and I noticed that his eyes held a sparkle that I had never seen within them before. Of course he still had the scars of his past. Those would be constant reminders that he would never be able to erase or escape.

The main thing was that he was trying. He still had to be monitored at mealtimes and he had to take anit-depressants daily to ensure that he didn't fall back into his old thinking habits. It had become clear that there wouldn't be another day in his life when he wouldn't have to take some form of pill. Which meant that he couldn't drink when he was old enough either. He would still be held back by the depression and reminders of his past even though he was working so hard at trying to get back on track.

He didn't go back to school to finish junior year at Forks as there was only a few weeks left in the semester. But he would be starting Senior year with Rose, Jasper and I, upholding his end of our promise. This was something he was anxious and yet excited about. Seeing as he didn't have those overwhelming feelings of guilt over his parents death or the invisible walls surrounding him, that he had when he first moved to Forks, he was able to see everything from a whole new perspective.

Carlisle had told me frequently that it was down to me that Edward's walls had crumbled. That because of my inital friendship and eventual love he ahd been encouraged to open up and in doing so, his protective barriers had all but disappeared. I didn't really want to believe that, but the fact that _everyone_ was telling me that it was true, even Edward was, there was something in me that started to believe that it might be. I mean, if I hadn't started talking to him, who knows where he would be right now. There was some tiny part of me that was proud to have been able to help in such a way.

When Edward had been discharged from the clinic the atmosphere had been tense to say the least. Everyone had been waiting for him to slip back into his old ways as soon as he could and I could help the feelings of overwhelming happiness and pride when I heard him utter the two words that I never thought I'd hear him say. It was only quiet, whispers at first but as he gained more confidence, his voice grew louder as we heard him say, "I'm hungry."

Edward had been out of hospital for two and a half weeks and it was nearing the 20th June, his eighteenth brithday. Alice was planning a surprise party for him, something I wasn't sure that he would be too impressed by as he was as big a fan of surprises as I was, which wasn't a very big fan at all. That wasn't enough to deter Alice though.

We had two days left before the part and I was headed over to the Cullens to keep Edward out of the way while the rest of them planned it. Alice had assigned me to "distract Edward" duty before the party, something that was absolutely fine with me. It meant that I got to spend more alone time with Edward.

Pulling into the Cullens' driveway I saw Alice standing there, waving at me excitedly. It looked as though she was greeting someone that she hadn't seen in years when in fact I had been in class with her not an hour ago. I walked up the steps to the house and she immediately began whispering to me about what was going to happen on Edward's birthday. She had it all planned out. I was to take Edward to Port Angeles, getting him out of the house and out of the town for a few hours. We would go for dinner and a movie, which Alice had insisted that she pay for, something I had point blank refused on, but being the sneaky little pixie that she is, she tricked me into agreeing.

We would then drive back to the Cullens' where Alice and the others would "surprise" Edward with the party. I just hoped that it didn't scare him enough to give him another heart attack. That was not something that I could deal with, ever, ever again. Seeing it once was enough for me. Too much for me even.

"Okay, Alice." I whispered harshly before we entered the house. "I get it. I understand, okay." She nodded and bounded ahead of me into the living room. I called out a hello to everyone and got "hey's" and "hi's" back. From what I could tell everyone was home. I walked into the living room and saw Emmett and Jasper battling it out on Grand Theft Auto. Which game it was I have no idea. They seemed to have them all. Rosalie was sitting there reading a magazine and Alice was now sat at the coffee table "umming" and "ahing" over some plans that she obviously had for Edward's party. I noticed that she also had her open Chem book in front of her, strategically placed so that she could hide the plans quickly, should Edward walk into the room.

I heard Esme and Carlisle talking in the kitchen and poked my head in to say hi. They both smiled and greeted me before I walked up the stairs and entered Edward's room.

He was asleep. Lying on his side, as he normally did, headphones in his ears. I slowly walked over to him, marvelling in his beauty. He looked so peaceful, so calm. There was nothing on his face that would show of all the things that he had been through in his life. He was perfect. Even more so now that he had filled out. He was healthy, and for once it seemed that he was happy with it. At the clinic they had started him on a gentle muscle building programme, so that all the weight that he gained didn't just turn into fat. And I was glad that they did. He was now nicely toned and defined, his muscles now flexing as he stretched in his sleep. A definite Greek God. And at 140 pounds with a BMI of 19 he was healthy. Finally.

I knelt down in front of him and gently brushed a few locks of his dishevelled bronze hair out of his eyes. His hair had become noticeably healthier as well. It now shined naturally and had regained thickness. He was all round a much healthier person, in body and in mind. The only problem was, that whereas a normal person would be able to keep this up naturally, he had to work every day, all the time, to keep himself on track. I kissed him softly on the lips and I felt his mouth curl upwards slightly in a smile. He opened his eyes as I pulled away and smiled at me sleepily.

"Hey," I whispered softly to him.

"Hey." He mumbled back, his voice thick with sleep.

I stood up and went to move around to sit on the other side of the bed, but he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me down on top of him. I smiled down at him and he grinned back at me. I pressed my lips to his and he placed on arm around my waist squeezing me closer to him and on hand on the back of my neck tenderly.

Oh yes, this Edward I liked. This Edward I could get very _very_ used to. Even though we hadn't taken our relationship to the next level, neither of us felt the need to. We were both quite content to let things go at their own pace. Everything would fall into place when the time was right. All that mattered to me was Edward.

He was happy, healthy. A real life Greek God.

And he was mine.

**There's chapter two. I hope that after the prologue I won't be hunted down like an animal.  
*Runs and hides*  
Please review.**


	3. It's Good To Be Home

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

I was so grateful to be out of the clinic, just so I could finally be a teenager. During my time in there I'd realised what I'd missed out on. If you took away the fact that we were all a little - well a lot - messed up and had serious issues with food then all we were were teenagers. I made some great friends in the clinic, and I told them and myself that I would keep in touch with them. Michael had been discharged about a month after Bella left and Diana not too long afterwards. I felt sad to see my friends go, but I knew that they were ready and I was so happy that they would finally be able to move on with their lives, leaving this nightmare behind them, as I wished to do.

I had been improving steadily over the weeks. Jennie had stepped up my muscle building regime slightly, so it was slightly more intense and I could feel it working. This was something that I could and probably would continue with when I was discharged and I couldn't thank Jennie enough for introducing me to it. I felt like I was finally getting on track with my recovery and that I would be out of there soon. Derek and Dr. Martin were both very impressed and proud of my improvements and I hoped to keep it that way.

That is until the beginning of February.

I had been called in to see Dr. Martin. Confused about what she could be calling me to her office about I went straight away. Only to wish that I hadn't. She had told me that I was needed at James' trial. She'd told me that my testimony was needed to bring him to justice and without it there wasn't enough evidence to put him away. I'd pleaded with her to not allow me to do it, but the courts had been adamant that my testimony was needed. I didn't want James to walk free and have the opportunity to do what he did to me to someone else, and not get stopped before it was too late. But I couldn't face him again. I just couldn't.

I knew I had to though. I thought that I was strong enough to face him again, but as the date for his trial got closer and closer I had begun to fall back into my old habits of refusing food and I was losing again. Jennie had stopped my programme and I knew that if I didn't fight back then I would be back to square one. I still spoke to Bella on a daily basis and she constantly assured me that I could do it. I didn't know if I could. I needed her there. She knew that, but she, quite rightly told me that I was strong enough to get through this on my own. I _had_ to be strong enough.

I managed to get through the trial, but not without some harsh reminders of what had happened. As soon as I saw him, with that stupid smirk on his face, I felt myself withdrawing back into myself and I felt the fear that I had felt back then creeping up my spine. Derek had come with me on that day but I knew that the only person I needed was Bella. I needed her to get through this day.

And she was there.

I had turned around before going in to see her standing there smiling at me. She had known that I would need her there on that day of all days and I was so relieved to find her there. Walking into the courtroom I saw her eyes settle on James and I saw a look in her eyes that I never wanted to see there again. Her eyes were murderous. I didn't think that Bella, _my_ Bella, my sweet and innocent, gentle, caring Bella would ever be able to wish that kind of hate and pain on anyone. Obviously she could, and she did.

I'd managed to get through the trial okay and James was sentence to six years in jail for attempted rape but I wasn't so lucky when it came to getting my focus back. It turned out that it would take me until the beginning of June to get discharged. By the time I left everybody that I had gotten close to while in the clinic had left and begun rebuilding their lives. I couldn't wait to do the same with mine.

As I'd walked out of the clinic I couldn't help the huge smile that spread across my face as I saw the most beautiful person standing there. The one person that I wanted to see most of all. Bella. She was standing there, on the steps of the clinic just like she had promised she would be. I nearly ran down the steps to meet her, but didn't because I knew that once I had begun to run down them I wouldn't be able to stop. Stopping in front of her I'd bent down and wrapped my arms around her waist, before crushing my lips to hers only to feel her kissing me back with the same amount of force.

When I'd gotten home I'd been watched quite carefully. If I said that I wasn't expecting it then I'd be lying. I knew that they would be watching me, waiting for me to slip back into my old behaviours but I was determined that that was not going to happen. There was always someone around when I was eating. After being watched for months it didn't really bother me too much anymore. I mean, it did a little, but I could understand where they were coming from now. I could learn to live with it. For now at least. But if it got to how it was just before and after we'd moved to Forks then I would be having serious words with my family. I hadn't gone through all that time in the clinic just to come out and be treated like a child again.

Thankfully, though they gave me my privacy. Something that I was grateful for. I hadn't had any privacy really before I left and at the clinic it was minimal to say the least. I was just thankful to have the chance to have time to myself for the first time in months. That is until Bella came over after school. That was the time of day that I couldn't wait for.

Esme and Carlisle had thought that it wouldn't be a good idea for me to go back to school until the start of Senior year. I have to say I agreed with them. I didn't really want to go back to school for a few weeks and then break for summer. I wanted to be able to go back at the beginning of a new year, with a new leaf, with Bella and my family. Then at least I would be able to handle going back. No doubt there were rumours about mine and Bella's disappearance after the situation with Newton. The fact that he had said that he had found me and had gone to get help made my blood boil. I was thankful that Bella had put that straight on her first day back. That bastard deserved to be put back in his place. And he still had the audacity to try and go after Bella again. The nerve of that guy. I was just thankful that Bella had Emmett and Jasper there for her, although from what Alice and the others had told me, she wasn't really in need of any protection from those two anymore. It made me smile but all the same, I was glad those guys were there.

At this point in time I was lying with Bella in my arms. Something that I had missed when she had left the clinic and something that I told myself I would never let go of again. She was too precious to me, something I would never leave again, for whatever reason.

I looked at the phone that Esme and Carlisle had gotten me as a welcome home present. It was the new T-Mobile G1, the new google phone and I had to admit it was pretty cool. I looked at the date and realised that it was my birthday. I set it back down and laid my head back on my pillows, my arm encircling Bella's waist a little tighter. She had fallen asleep there last night and I hadn't had the heart to move her. I was eighteen today. Somehow it didn't really sink in. I guess I didn't really want it to.

I felt Bella stirring next to me. She lifted her head up and looked at me, smiling sleepily. "Happy Birthday, love." She whispered lifting herself up and pressing her lips softly to mine. She tried to move away from me, but I held her closer to my side and she giggled, looking up at me. "Don't worry, I'm not leaving you. I just want to give you your birthday present."

"You didn't need to get me anything." I whined. I really didn't like presents. And she knew that. I knew that my family would go all out for my birthday. They always did when it was someone's birthday, and with it being my eighteenth, hell, I didn't know what to expect. And when it came to Alice I always expected the worst.

"I know," She smiled at me again. "But I wanted to. It's your eighteenth. Now come on, let me go. I want to give it to you before your family comes bounding in here, because you know that they will." I relented and she slid off the bed and picked up her bag. Opening it, she pulled out a long black box with a small silver bow on the top. She turned around and gave it to me, grinning and blushing slightly. "Here you go."

I took the box from her and removed the bow. Opening the box I saw that she had gotten me the latest Gucci watch. It was completely black made of PVD with the hands and dial shining a bright white against the black background. It also had "gucci" written on the face just below where the nine on the face would be. I knew for a fact that it was quartz movement, waterproof and incredibly expensive. I gaped at it and looked at Bella who had a smile spread across her face.

"I guess you like it then?" She said in a small voice.

"Bella, I love it. Thank you so much." I leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips. I felt her smile against my lips and I pulled away grinning.

"Look that the back." She giggled as my brow furrowed. I took the watch out of the box carefully and turned it over. I couldn't help but smile at what was there. She had had it personally enscribed.

_For my beloved.  
I love you  
ExB_

I grinned and kissed her again, my arms encircling her waist. I trailed kisses all down her jawline and up her cheek, across her forehead, down the other cheek and down the opposite jaw to which I'd started on, stopping at her earlobe which I took between my lips and sucked on gently. She let out a gasp and I smiled, taking her it between my teeth, gently nibbling at her earlobe. I felt her breathing increase slightly and I let her lobe go and kissed her jaw again. I pulled away smiling and she scowled at me playfully.

"That was mean," She pouted at me and I kissed her softly, taking her face in between my hands.

"Hey," I whispered, planning on using this day to my advantage. "It's my birthday. I can do whatever I want." She scowled at me and then gave me a look of defeat. I grinned at her again and she smiled at me. She took the watch from my hand and gently placed it around my left wrist, the opposite wrist to the one that held the Cullen Crest. It fit perfectly. She leant forward and kissed me again, drawing this one out tenderly.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU TWO ARE DOING IN THERE, BUT I WANT TO SEE MY LITTLE BROTHER ON HIS BIRTHDAY!!!!" I jumped when I heard Emmett screaming through the door, moments before the door flew open and my siblings bounded into the room, each of them dive-bombing on the bed. I couldn't help but grin when Bella shot me a look that said "I told you so". I nodded at her to show that she had been right.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDDIE!" Alice squealed jumping up and down on my bed like a five-year old on christmas morning. Actually a five year old on crack would be a better way to put it, but for Alice's sake, we'll go with the christmas analogy.

"Thank you Alice." I choked out as she hugged me. It made me uncomfortable, but I allowed her this one, seeing as she was over-excited and I hoped she would calm down as the day wore on. I say, I hoped, but I had little reassurance that she in fact would. "Now, if you could stop bouncing up and down that would be great." She stopped bouncing and scowled at me playfully and I laughed at her.

"Come on lil bro," Emmett said. Now he was the one bouncing up and down on the bed. Up until that moment I didn't think that it was possible to become seasick without the actual sea but, nope, Emmett managed it somehow. "Presents!"

"No!" Alice cried defeaningly. I pouted at her.

"Why not?" I asked indignantly, still pouting and she laughed at me.

"Because, brother!" She chirped, looking smug for some reason. "I know for a fact that Carlisle and Esme still need to put the finishing touches on your present and it wouldn't be fair to open presents from everyone else before theirs was ready, would it?" I narrowed my eyes at her, knowing that there was more to her explanation. Even though I knew that there was something else going on there was no way that I was going to be able to get it out of the pesky little pixie, known as my sister, that was sat in front of me, her little eyes glinting at me evilly. On second thoughts I didn't want to know what she was planning or what was going on in her mind. I think that it would be too much for me to handle at this time in the morning. Maybe I would attempt to get it out of her later on in the day "Besides, I've already hidden them all so you can't find them!" At that she jumped off of my bed and out of my reach as my jaw dropped.

"Alice!" I cried. "Why?! Why would you do that?!"

"So you couldn't sneakily open them." She grinned at me evilly again. I was convinced that someday that pixie was going to rule the world.

"Fine!" I gave up and she grinned. "When do I get to open them?" I asked her and her evil grin turned into a knowing smile.

"When you get back."

"When I get back?" I was confused. I was going somewhere? Where the hell was I going today?

"Yes," Bella said, scooting over to me and wrapping her arm around my waist. "_We,_ as in you and me," she pointed to me and then herself, "are spending the day in Port Angeles. I have some things planned for us today."

"Oh really?" I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Ah-ah," She waved her finger at me. "It's a surprise." She tapped me on the nose with her index finger.

"What is it with people and keeping things from me today?" I asked indignantly, feeling as though they were all in on something that I was missing. Something that I had the sneaking suspicion that I wouldn't like.

"Well....." Bella shrugged, acting as if she didn't know what I was talking about.

I guessed that there was no other way of finding out, other than to wait.

***comes out of hiding long enough to post chapter* there's chapter three. *runs back to hiding place and pokes head out quickly*  
Please review!!!! *hides again***


	4. Port Angeles

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**BPOV**

Watching Edward get into a mini strop about not being able to open his presents was cute. Normally, he didn't really like getting gifts at all, I guessed that because it was his birthday he wasn't too against the idea. The shock in his eyes when Alice told him that she'd hidden his presents so he couldn't open them was just adorable to see. It was nice to see him acting like a normal teenager, after he'd spent so long being depressed and withdrawn. It was good to see him laugh.

Alice's cover as to why he wasn't able to open his presents now was ingenious. Of course she would have told Esme and Carlisle the lie about it and they would agree with her and collaborate her story if he brought it up. I could see that he knew that there was something else going on, but of course, none of us were going to enlighten him as to what was happening. It would take the surprise out of the surprise party that we were throwing for him.

I had also taken it upon myself to call Diana, Claire and Michael telling them about the party. They had all agreed to come with the same excited tone that Alice had used when she had come up with the idea. Michael had told me that he would get in contact with Shane to see if he could come, and he would text me later on to tell me if he could come or not. I had no doubt that he would. They all cared for Edward as much as his family did.

Alice had been overjoyed when I'd told her that I had contacted them, and that they would be coming. I guess it gave her more of a reason to go all out with the party. They would be arriving when Edward and I were in Port Angeles.

When the others left the room, I heard Alice and Rose giggling and whispering to each other, and I couldn't help but notice the perplexed look on Edward's face. Obviously he was still trying to process what had just happened.

"What's wrong love? You look confused." I said, not managing to conceal the grin that was spreading across my face. He turned to look at me, his face melting into a smile as he did.

"I'm not sure." He shook his head, chuckling softly. "I know I should be used to Alice by now, but that girl never ceases to scare me." I laughed at his choice of words and he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back down to lie next to him on the bed. "So, what's the plan for today then?"

"I was thinking, maybe, an early dinner and then a movie." I looked at him and I saw his face become slightly apprehensive about the idea of a meal. It would be his first meal in public in......well, in god knows how long. "I mean, we don't have to go to the meal if you don't want. We could just go to the movie if you're not comfortable with the thought. I mean it was just an idea-" He cut me off, placing a finger on my lips.

"No," He said calmly. "It's okay. I'll be fine." He smiled at me and taking his finger away from my lips he kissed me softly.

"Are you sure?" I asked, suddenly apprehensive about the idea. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable in any way.

"Yes," He nodded once at me. "Yeah, I am." He grinned at me and I smiled back. I was so proud of him. Who knew that he would do a complete one-eighty in the time that I'd known him? The Edward that I had met in Biology on that first day back at school would never have agreed to going out for a meal. Hell, he would skip meals with his family and had been known to throw it up if he had been forced to eat it. This Edward was now pushing his boundaries and moving outside of his comfort zone. Something I knew must be very hard for him to do.

I looked at the time on his clock by his bed and saw that it was already past noon.

I tapped him on the arm gently. "Right, Mr. Cullen." I said, easing myself out of his arms, earning a pout in return. "Come on, you need to get up and dressed." I kissed him quickly on the lips and he smiled. "Go on! Shower, dressed. Now!" He looked slightly put out but complied anyway. Grabbing a towel from one of the cupboards in his room, he walked into the bathroom adjoining his room and a few moments later I heard the shower going. I sighed and thought about today. The plan was that I would take Edward out, we would do a little shopping in Port Angeles, grab an early dinner and go and see a movie, which movie I would leave up to him, and then we would come back here and the others would spring the party on him. I told myself that I wasn't going to think about the party, as I knew that it would be evident on my face that I was hiding something from him.

Twenty minutes later he came out, clean, shaven and dressed. I'm telling you even in a plain powder blue button down shirt and jeans, he looked amazing. I was having a hard time stopping myself from jumping on him at that point, so I got up off of the bed, walked over to him and kissed him gently on his lower jaw, the place I knew he liked to be kissed the most. For the moment anyway.

I took his hand and we walked downstairs to where everyone else was sitting either in the living room, watching something on the television or in the kitchen. We walked into the kitchen where Esme and Carlisle were sitting and they beamed at us as we walked in. Esme stood up quickly and hugged Edward gently. He hugged her back, testing his limits with contact. Even though he had come a long way with everything, he was still apprehensive and could panic when it came to physical contact. Derek had told us that there was a good chance that this fear would be with him for the rest of his life.

"Happy Birthday, my boy." She said, beaming at him and he smiled back at her.

"Thanks Esme." He replied sitting himself down on one of the barstools that surrounded the sideboard. I pulled myself up into one next to him, not letting go of his hand.

"Happy Birthday, son." Carlisle said, grinning from across the kitchen.

"Thanks, Carlisle." He said, still smiling as he looked at his father. "Hey, do either of you know why Alice has hidden my presents?"

Esme feigned quite a believeable look of shock and turned to glance at Carlisle who shook his head and shrugged. They were both better liars than I had given them credit for.

"No." Esme said, turning to face the two of us again. "I mean, I know that she wanted you to wait until your present from Carlisle and I was ready, but I didn't think she'd go so far as to hide them from you." She chuckled slightly. "She must really not want you to open them yet."

Edward nodded. "It's not fair." He looked at me and pouted, causing me to laugh at him. He grinned at me and I kissed him on the cheek. "So what time are we going?"

"I'm not sure." I shrugged. "Whenever you're ready."

"You've got to have something to eat first." Carlisle called from across the kitchen and Edward rolled his eyes, nodding. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Edward. You know you've got to."

"I know, Carlisle. I know." Edward said, looking at Carlisle again.

"Now, what do you want?" Esme asked him. "I know its after twelve but I could make you some pancakes or cereal. I'll make you some pancakes." I could see that Edward was about to protest but she had already turned around and Carlisle shot him a warning look. He looked down at the ground, his jaw clenched, seeming a bit frustrated. I knew that one thing that was bothering him was that he wanted to be able to make his own food. Him taking charge of his own menu was supposed to be part of his therapy and I could tell that he didn't feel like his family was letting him do that.

A few minutes later there were two plates of steaming pancakes in front of us. Esme had made some for me as well, and I smiled at her gratefully. I picked up my fork and started on my own pile as Edward started on his. I knew that he would have preferred that Esme and Carlisle didn't watch him, but I think on some level that he knew that they weren't going to leave him any time soon. I could see that this strict regime of meals was going to start wearing on him soon.

After we finished our pancakes, I turned to Edward. "So, are we ready to go?" He looked at me, smiled and nodded. I grinned and kissed him again.

"Hang on a moment." Esme called, filling a glass up with water. She placed the glass on the counter top in front of us along with a large white pill. Edward's anti-depressant. He hated taking them, but he knew that it was necessary, so that he didn't fall back into his old ways of thinking. He took the pill and downed the glass of water with it, giving me a small smile after he had placed the glass back down.

"Come on then," I said, sliding off of the stool. "Let's go." He grinned, sliding off of the stool he was sitting on and following me out into the hallway. I picked up the keys to his Volvo and he looked at me sceptically. "What? I've never driven it before."

"Okay then." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Don't worry, love. I'm not going to crash it." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "I know how much you love your car."

"Almost as much as I love you." He whispered against my lips, before pressing his to mine again. I giggled against his lips and broke away pulling him out of the door, calling out a goodbye to everyone.

As we got into the car, I could see Alice watching us out of the window, pretending to be sitting in the sunshine, soaking it up. It was June after all and even in Forks it was quite warm. But I knew that she was waiting for us to leave the driveway so that she could set things in motion for tonight. I've got to hand it to that pixie, she really could be snealy and conniving when she wanted to be. I would hate to see what she would be like if she got her hands on anything really incriminating.

The drive to Port Angeles was quiet but nice. I drove most of the way with one hand grasping Edward's as he looked out of the window. The last time he had been on this route, it had been towards the clinic and I could tell that those memories were flashing through his mind now. I smiled inwardly as I thought about what his face would be like when he saw Diana, Michael and Claire at his house tonight. I hoped that he would enjoy himself. He wasn't a huge lover of parties, and specifically hated attention being on him, so I was a bit concerned as to his reaction. Hopefully he would be happy at the effort that his family had put into his birthday, and excited to see his friends again.

Only way to find out is when we get there.

We arrived in Port Angeles a little after two o'clock and finding a place to park we walked around for a little. We went into a couple of shops but didn't really see anything that we wanted. I even told him that if he saw anything that he liked then I would get it for him as an additional birthday present seeing as Alice was being mean and not letting him have the ones from his family. He point blank refused that gesture and told me that the watch was more than enough for him. Going into the bookstore, I bought myself another copy of Wuthering Heights, as the one that I had right now was beginning to fall apart, from my having read it so many times.

We went to the docks and sat there for a while, talking about completely random things. Things that wouldn't really make much sense to anyone else were they to listen in to the conversation, and yet somehow they made complete sense to both of us. It got to four o'clock and I told Edward that we should go and get something to eat so we could get a decent movie time. He agreed and stood up, pulling me up after him. I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him gently, deepening it slightly before breaking away. I giggled at him and he grinned back at me, showing me that glorious crooked smile that always made me go weak at the knees.

On the way back into the main centre of the town we saw Eric and Tyler, who grinned and walked over to us.

"Hey," Tyler greeted us and Eric waved slightly at us.

"Hey guys," I said, grasping Edward's hand. He hadn't really met Tyler and Eric before so this was going to be a little awkward for him.

"Hey Edward," Eric said smiling. "How are ya?"

"I'm good. You?" He smiled back at Eric.

"Not bad, man. Not bad." I could tell that Edward and Eric would probably get on if they had the chance to get to know each other.

"So," Tyler said, turning to me. "What brings you two to Port Angeles?"

"Well, " I said wrapping my arm around Edward's waist. "It's Edward's birthday so we're going to get some dinner and then catch a movie."

"Oh, happy birthday, man." Eric and Tyler said at the same time, grinning at him.

"Thanks." Edward smiled back, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

I looked at my watch and saw that Alice would be expecting us back in three and a half hours, so I had to cut this short and get things moving. "Anyway guys, we should get going. It was good seeing you guys. See you at school on Monday?" I asked and they nodded, saying goodbye to Edward. We walked in the direction of one of my favourite resturants in Port Angeles. "Well, that was relatively painless."

"It was." Edward seemed a bit distracted.

"Are you okay love?" I asked and he shook his head slightly and looked down at me. Seeing my concerned expression he leant down and kissed me, smiling.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I was just...thinking." He replied, still smiling.

"About?"

"Oh, nothing really."

We walked up to the resturant. _La Bella Italia_ it was called. "Are you okay?" I asked turning to face him. "We don't have to go eat if you don't want to."

"I'm fine Bella, love." He kissed my forehead tenderly. "Honestly. I'll be okay." He smiled at me.

"Okay, but if at any time you think it's too much then tell me and we'll go, okay." He smiled gratefully and nodded.

We walked into the resturant and waited to be seated. After a moment or two a waitress came over and almost stopped dead when she saw Edward, her eyes almost bulging out of her skull. She smiled in what I supposed was meant to be a sexy way and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Table for......?" She said in what was supposed to be a seductive voice.

"Two." Edward said, bluntly and her gaze fell on me, her face falling slightly when she saw Edward's arm draped over my shoulder. I smiled sweetly at her, at the same time letting her know that he was mine. She motioned for us to follow her and she led us to a table in the back of the resturant.

We sat down and I smiled at him. He grinned back and took my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze showing me that he was alright. He would be alright. For the moment at least. If he felt uncomfortable at all at any point during the meal then we would leave. No arguments. I had made that clear enough to him and he seemed grateful for that scapegoat. I had the feeling that the whole attitude around his eating at home was wearing on him a little. I wanted him to know that he wouldn't be forced when out today. Today was about _him_. It was his special day after all.

We were interrupted by the waitress who introduced herself and took our drinks order, again being another one who leered at Edward for an unnecessary length of time. I cleared my throat and smiled at her and she appeared to get the mesage and walked off, obviously annoyed that it was me sat there holding Edward's hand and not her. But then again, who could blame her? He _was_ gorgeous. And he was mine. She quickly bought our drinks over and we ordered our food. I went for spaghetti whereas Edward ordered the mushroom ravioli.

We chatted about random things like we had whilst being at the docks until our food came. I noticed him tense up slightly when it arrived and I squeezed his hand in a reassuring way, smiling at him and letting him know that it was okay. I knew that this was a huge step for him. Eating out for the first time after treatment was a huge thing, and it was supposed to mean that the recovery process was working still. I behaved in the way I had back in the clinic, busying myself with my own meal, while Edward got started on his. I knew that he felt more comfortable eating this way, rather than having people watching him, as he had at the clinic and was now at home. I thought that maybe I should talk to Esme and Carlisle about that. About how they shouldn't openly watch him eat as it made him incredibly uncomfortable and made him lean towards not eating more than encouraging him to actually eat.

"Good?" I asked and he nodded smiling. He was doing better than I thought he would. This boy never ceased to surprise me. I say boy, when I mean man. Because he was. He wasn't the same lost and broken boy anymore. He was stronger, healthier and more confident.

Finishing our meal, I made sure that I grabbed the bill before he could. I looked at his disgruntled expression and explained to him that as it was his birthday he was not paying for a single thing today. He sat back in his chair and huffed like a child that had just been denied some candy of sorts. I knew that Edward hated attention and people doing things for him and obviously the fact that it was his birthday was not going to change his ideas on the fact that it should be the man that pays for the meal and not the woman, even if it was the man's birthday.

We walked hand in hand to the cinema, debating over what film to see. In the end we saw a film called Duplicity, though neither of us watched much of it. We spent most of the film watching each other instead of the screen in front of us. If someone asked me then I wouldn't be able to tell them what happened and I doubted that Edward would be able to either.

"Was there any point in us going to see a movie?" He asked me, chuckling as we walked towards the Volvo.

"Nope." I said as my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I took it out and saw that it was a text from Alice. Glancing up, I saw that Edward was preoccupied with something else so I opened the message and read it quickly.

_B_

_Everything's ready.  
Everyone's here. Get home ASAP._

_3 A xx_

I looked up at Edward who looked down at me and smiled. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him gently, texting Alice back. Thank god I didn't have to look at my phone to know what I was texting someone.

_A_

_Just leaving Port Angeles now.  
Will be home ASAP_

_3 B xxx_

I snapped my phone shut and Edward opened the driver's door to the Volvo for me. I smiled at him as I got in and put the keys into the ignition as he walked around and got in the other side.

The drive home was as peaceful and quite as the drive there had been. We were enveloped in a comfortable silence, our hands intertwined in the middle of us as I navigated the roads back to Forks, only letting go to change gears or to turn on the indicators, showing I was turning onto a different street.

"So," I said after a while, as we were nearing his house. "Have you had a good day?" I smiled, glancing over at him to see him looking over at me smiling.

"The best." I chuckled. "What?" He asked and I feigned innocence. "Bella?" Out of the corner of my eye I could see that he had narrowed his eyes at me. _Shit!_ I thought. _He's going to know that something's up._ "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," I replied in what I hoped sounded like an innocent voice. His eyes were still narrowed as he looked out of the window. I let my breath out slowly and silently so he wouldn't realise that I had been holding my breath. He had let it go, for the moment. It didn't really matter anyway, because we were approaching the long driveway that led to his house. Turning off and approaching the house I saw that everyone who wasn't in Edward's family had hidden their cars around the back of the house as Alice had asked them to, well actually I could imagine Alice "asking" them to do anything, and I would bet that they were all cowering in fear, rather than hiding to surprise Edward.

I stopped in front of the house and turned off the ignition, facing Edward. He looked at me and smiled. I leaned over and kissed him tenderly, with him placing his hadns on either side of my face.

"I love you," I whispered, smiling.

"I love you too." He breathed back, placing another soft and sweet kiss on my lips. I almost didn't want to go into the house. I wanted to sit in the car forever and have Edward all to myself.

"Come on." I moaned, opening my car door and placing one foot on the ground. "Let's go inside. Alice is probably throwing a fit, deciding that she's going to take your presents out of hiding."

He chuckled. "I still can't believe she did that." He opened his own door and got out, slamming the door. I locked up the car and took my hand in his. Thankfully the front of the house wasn't where the main living room was, so it was no surprise when he saw that the lights were off. It would have given it away if all the lights in the living room were off when all the cars were here.

Placing my key into the door, I let us in and we hung up our jackets and walked through into the main living room. I could tell that Edward was slightly confused to see that the lights were off in this room as well. That is, before all the lights were thrown on and there was a deafening chorus.

"SURPRISE!!!!"

**Is it safe to come out yet? *peeks head over top of hiding place*  
He's had a happy birthday and has now had the living daylights scared out of him at his own party :D  
It's a fun day for Edward.  
Please review xxx**


	5. The Party Pt 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

Today had to have been one of the best days I've ever had. It didn't really even matter that it was my birthday. It was the fact that I was with Bella, being a normal teenager for once, which was something I never thought that I would be able to do.

I'll admit, I was a bit nervous when we met up with Bella's friends from school. Not really knowing them and not having spent any time at the school over the last eight months or so, I didn't really know what to expect of them. I didn't want to think that they had listened to the rumours that Bella and my family had told me that Mike Newton had been spreading about me and why I wasn't at school. I didn't want people to think about me in that way. But it seemed that my fears were for naught. They seemed friendly, although like me, they seemed a bit awkward, obviously wondering how to behave in front of me.

The meal that Bella had planned wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I guess that I put that down to the fact that it was just Bella and I here. No one else. I mean, I love my family, but they were beginning to get to me a bit. They insisted on watching me as I ate and it unnerved me slightly. Well, more than slightly. I guess with Bella, it seemed so natural, as if we _were_ a normal teenage couple. She left me to eat in my own time, not watching me, not adding any pressure. Trusting me.

I didn't pay much attention to the film. If you asked me what it was about I wouldn't have been able to tell you. If you asked me who was in it, again I would draw up a blank. I was just so preoccupied with Bella. Nothing else seemed to matter while we were sat there in the darkened theater, holding hands calmly, just content.

Nothing else would have made that night more perfect than it already was. I didn't know what the rest of the family were up to, nor did I care. All I cared about was the fact that I had Bella here, with me.

I most definitely wasn't expecting what we got when we walked through the door.

After spending such a beautiful, pleasant and quiet evening with Bella we got back to my house to find that the lights were off downstairs. This wasn't something that was uncommon as it was only an unused study at the front of the house. I began to get a little worried when we walked through the house and there were no signs of life until the lights flicked on and I got the shock of my life.

I had god knows how many people yelling "SURPRISE!" at me all at the same time. I think I must have jumped about three feet in the air due to fright. I looked around at Bella to see her grinning from ear to ear, showing me that she had obviously had a part to play in this.

"Happy Birthday, love." She walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing me softly. She looked up at my perplexed expression and a confused look came over her face. "What?"

"I'm just surprised that you were able to keep it from me is all." I grinned at her and she smiled sheepishly, the blush that I loved so much returning to her cheeks. "See? That's what I was talking about." She shrugged and kissed me again just before Alice bounded over to us grinning.

"Eddie," I groaned at the cursed name and she waved it off. "We have a surprise for you." She said in a singsong voice.

"Another one?" I was still recovering from the first one. I looked at her and saw her grinning evilly at me. "Alice?" I narrowed my eyes at her and she turned around, looking at the back of the room. I craned my neck and saw four figures standing, partially in the shadows. I wasn't sure who it was until Alice waved them over and I could see them properly. I felt my face morph into a huge grin as I saw the four people I'd gotten close to in the clinic walk out into the centre of the room. Claire, Diana, Michael and Shane. They all stood there, looked at each other and then looked at me again.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDWARD!" They cried and I couldn't help but laugh. I looked down at Bella and she grinned blushing again. I took her face in my hands and pressed my lips to hers knowing that she was the one responsible for their being here, seeing as she was the only one with contact numbers for any of them.

"Thank you." I whispered and she smiled at me.

I turned to look at who was there. I saw my family standing there grinning at me. I also saw Charlie, Bella's father, a dark-skinned woman that I hadn't met before - I guessed that she was Sue Clearwater, the woman that Bella had told me that her father had been seeing recently. There was also a boy and a girl there that, standing slightly behind her and I guessed that they must have been her children. They looked pleasant enough and I told myself that I would get to know them and thank them for coming. There was also another man that I didn't recognise, but knew by description from Bella. He looked around the same age as Charlie, but had the same coloured skin as the woman and her children. He was in a wheelchair and I instantly knew him as Billy Black, an old friend of Charlie's. Standing behind him was a boy, that I guessed was his son, Jacob. Bella had told me that the two of them would spend time together when she visited Charlie in the summer. I smiled and nodded at him but was met with a grave expression. I made a mental note to ask Bella about that later on.

I also saw Irina standing there with a huge smile on her face. This Denali sister I liked. From what I had gotten at the clinic, she was the complete opposite to her sister. Standing next to her was a man, who looked ever so slightly unsure of himself, as if wondering why he was there. Bella had told me about Irina's boyfriend, Felix, so I guessed that that was him.

Alice bounded away from me and turned up the large stereo-system we had in the room. Everyone jumped at the sound and began laughing and chatting to each other. Jasper walked up to both Bella and myself and handed us a drink each, grinning.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"I think....." I pondered this a moment. "I think that I'm going to have to kill a certain pixie sister of mine." He and Bella both laughed when I said this and I couldn't help but grin. It was nice to see my family so relaxed.

"I'm just going to go get some food." Bella said, kissing my lower jaw.

"We just ate a couple of hours ago." I told her and she pouted.

"I know." She whined. "But I'm hungry again." I rolled my eyes. "Want anything?"

I thought about this for a moment. "I'm alright at the moment." I saw Jasper raise his eyebrows at me. "Honestly, Jazz." I told him, rolling my eyes. "I'm fine." I saw that he wasn't going to believe me on this. "I'll get something a bit later on. Okay?" He narrowed his eyes at me, but I didn't break my gaze from him. He seemed placated as he walked off. I looked back at Bella and I saw that the smile had disappeared.

"I'll talk to him." She whispered, kissing me on the lips gently and walking off to find where Alice had hidden the food. I shook my head at her, smiling.

I turned and saw Irina walking towards me, with a huge smile on her face. She knew that hugging me probably wasn't the best idea, so she stopped and grinned at me.

"Happy birthday Edward." She said softly.

"Thank you Irina." I said, smiling back at her.

"Edward, I'd like you to meet Felix." She turned around and held out her hand. He walked over and took it, seeming slightly more at ease than a minute ago. "Felix this is Edward. Bella's boyfriend."

"The one who was at the clinic?" He asked and I nodded. I knew that he wasn't pointing it out in a nasty way, just as a way of clarifying who I was. "Yeah, Irina told me about what happened with Tanya." He shook his head. "I'm sorry about that man." He gave me a small smile.

"I'm going to leave you boys to chat." Irina said, giving Felix a swift kiss and moving off to talk to Rosalie. I looked after her slightly bemused and Felix laughed.

"So," I said, taking a sip of my drink. "You sound like you've had experience with the whole Tanya situtation."

He laughed and shook his head. "More than once. I remember when I first met Tanya, it was like, even though Irina was sat right there next to me, she was all over me." He sighed, grimacing slightly at the memory. "I swear that girl doesn't know the meaning of the word no."

"You know, you say that. I had _exactly_ the same experience with Tanya." I took another sip of my drink. "I was sat in the main room, with Bella actually sitting on my lap, so you know it's pretty obvious that we're together and she came over and.....I don't know." I shook my head.

"Tried it on?" He asked knowingly and I nodded. "I swear, the amount of times Irina has almost ripped her head off for trying it on with me. I know I sound bigheaded when I say this, but ..... I don't know what it is. Maybe she just has a thing for guys who are in relationships."

"She wants what she can't have." I said and he nodded.

"You know, when Irina said that we were coming here tonight, she begged and pleaded to come. The look on her face, man, I hate that look. It creeps me out." He shuddered and I could tell that it wasn't for dramatic effect. "I was so glad when Irina told her that she wasn't coming. I didn't really understand why she wanted to come so badly but then Irina explained what happened at the clinic." It was my turn to shudder now and he grinned. "That bad huh?"

"I guess that you're the only one here who has any kind of idea." I said and he nodded knowingly.

"Edward!" I heard Alice cry as she bounded up to me, grinning. "Come on, I want you to meet the Clearwater's and the Black's." She looked between Felix and myself. "Sorry to end your little manly chat."

"No you're not." I retorted and she shrugged. This earned a laugh from Felix and from the look on his face, I could tell that he had siblings as well. Before I knew what was happening I was being dragged by Alice towards the group of people I didn't recognise.

"Edward, this is Sue, Seth, Leah, Bily and Jacob." She pointed to each of them in turn. "Everyone, this is my brother Edward."

"Hello." I smiled, trying to be as polite as possible whilst wanting to rip my little sister's head off.

"Well," Sue said, looking me up and down. "I can see why Bella likes you." She gave her daughter a slight smile and I felt my brow furrow in confusion. "Come off it, honey, you're gorgeous." I felt myself going slightly red at this remark.

"Aww, you made my widdle bruvver all embawwassed." I heard Emmett shout from behind me. He grinned at me as I glared at him. "Ah, come on Eddie, you know she's right." I could tell that he was resisting throwing his arm around me as he said that, knowing that I would probably freak out if he did. Not something that I really wanted to do, especially in front of a load of people that I'd only just met.

"Emmett, leave him alone." I heard the one voice that I wanted to as Bella appeared beside Emmett, elbowing him in the ribs, earning herself a look of mock hurt from him. She walked up to me and wrapped her arm around my waist and squeezed gently. I smiled down at her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Bella!" I heard Alice cry as she grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her away from me. I raised my eyebrow at Rosalie and she shrugged at me, also turning to watch where our sister was dragging my girlfriend. I sighed and shook my head, moving to sit down on the sofa.

I was watching everyone around me for a moment when I felt the weight of someone sitting beside me. I looked around to see Charlie sitting there, obviously trying to pretend to do the same thing as I was.

"Edward." He started off, unsurely.

"Yes, sir." I replied, my upbringing coming out again. Even though Bella had told me to call him Charlie, I didn't want to press my luck. This was the first time that I was talking to him properly, and I didn't want to give off the wrong impression.

"Well, Edward, you see." He sighed, obviously unsure of where to begin. "Well, Bella....she....she's never really had any boyfriends before, and I know she really likes you. More than I would like actually." I frowned, not sure where this was heading. "Look, I guess what I'm trying to say is that, she may be seventeen, but she's still my little girl, and I will always be there to protect her."

"I understand, sir." I nodded, seeing what he meant. He was trying to give me the "you hurt her and I'll hurt you" speech, but not really succeeding. "I would never even dream of hurting Bella."

"I know you wouldn't." He looked at me and smiled. "I know." I turned to look around the room. "And Edward." My head snapped back round to look at him. "I just wanna say, that Bella told me what you've been through," I nodded. I knew that Bella had told him. It was only fair that she did, seeing as she was spending so much time away from him, just to be with me. "And, I wanna say, that I'm proud of you. I mean, you've managed to turn your life around. After years of.....of.....well." I nodded knowing that he was referring to my years of self-harm and starvation, and somewhat grateful that he didn't mention it out loud. "And it takes a lot to do that. You've proven that you're strong. Stronger than I think anyone here would have admitted. I'm proud of you. I know it probably doesn't mean much coming from me, but I am."

"It means a lot. Thank you, sir." I smiled at him, reassuring him that it was okay.

"Please, call me Charlie."

"Charlie." I nodded as he stood up and walked over to his friend Billy. I sat there for a moment, looking around at the people surrounding me.

It was a mixture of people that I loved and people that I would like to get to know. They were all mingling and getting to know each other and that made me smile. I couldn't see Bella anywhere. She had no doubt been kidnapped by my little sister and was being subjected to goodness knows what. I had discovered years ago, when Jasper and Emmett tried to stop one of Alice's makeover sessions that that plan of action does not end well so I refused to let myself be subjected to what they went through. All I can remember is lipgloss, lots and lots of lipgloss. And screaming. Which is worrying when it's coming from your brothers.

I looked around again and saw that Billy's son, Jacob was sitting on one of the other sofas in the room. I had almost decided on whether or not I was going to speak to him when I saw his expression.

He was staring at me. No, make that glaring at me. For what reason I had no idea. Just then, he looked around and stood up slowly, and made his way over to where I was sitting on the sofa. Standing in front of me, he didn't say anything, but just looked down at me with a look on his face that I could only describe as .... hateful, maybe. Why? I hadn't done anything to this guy. I hadn't even met him before.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked in a low voice. "Outside?"

I didn't really know how to respond. All I knew was that whatever I did, it was going to be interesting.

***Still wonders if it is safe to come out of hiding yet.*  
****This was originally going to be one chapter, but it got so ridiculuously long that I had to split it into two chapters.  
Second part to the party will be coming up soon :D  
Please review you must know how much I loved them by now.**


	6. The Party Pt 2: The Confrontation

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

_"Can I talk to you?" He asked in a low voice. "Outside?"_

_I didn't really know how to respond. All I knew was that whatever I did, it was going to be interesting._

I watched him walk away as I slowly stood up, curious and confused as to what he could want.

I followed him through to the back of the house and onto the porch that overlooked our garden and the surrounding forest that acted as a barrier between out house and the rest of the world. I walked out through the clear, glass, sliding doors to find Jacob standing there, his back to me, with his hands on the fence that surrounded three quarters of the porch, leaving a wide space directly in front of the sliding doors that led into the house that ended in steps leading down to the garden.

"What can I do for you, Jacob?" I asked him, my tone guarded as I tried to be civil to him. He was Bella's friend so I figured I might as well make the effort, even if he wasn't going to.

"What makes you think you're good enough for her?" He asked in a voice that was barely about a whisper. So quiet that I had to strain to hear it. But I did hear it. Every word.

"Excuse me?" I asked, wanting him to repeat it even though I knew exactly what he had said.

He suddenly shoved himself off of the fence and turned around to face me, the hateful glare still in his eyes. "What makes you think you're good enough for her?" He asked me again, his tone forceful and clipped. "What makes you think that you're good enough for her?"

I stood there in silence, unable to really process the fact that this guy, whom I had only just met, was trying to interfere in my relationship with Bella. Granted yes, he was her friend, had been for years, but that still didn't give him any right.

"Wh-wh....um, I'm sorry," I pinched the bridge of my nose between my forefinger and thumb, trying to stop the anger welling up inside of me. "What is this?" I snapped looking at him.

"What is what?" He spat back at me, his eyes not leaving my face.

"This!" I gestured between the two of us.

"I don't get what you mean?" He said, crossing his arms across his chest. Whatever he was thinking, this guy was not fooling me. As someone who has years of experience covering things up, I should know. This guy was an amateur.

"What I mean, is what the hell gives you the right to ask me something like that?" I placed my drink down on the table that was just outside the door and folded my arms across my chest, mimicking his position. "Because if you're going to give me the whole, "if you hurt her then I'll hurt you" speech then you can save it because Charlie beat you to it."

"That wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about." He said smugly and I kept my face blank, something that wasn't too much of a problem. I might have been working through my problems but that sure as hell didn't mean that I lost everything I had gotten from my years of self-destruction. I was still able to mask my emotions where I needed to. And right here I definitely needed to. I couldn't let this kid know that he was getting under my skin. "Now answer my question."

"I don't have to explain anything to you." I said flatly. "The relationship I have with my girlfriend is actually none of your business." I saw his eyes grow darker, if that was even possible at the mention of the fact that Bella was my girlfriend.

He shook his head at me, still glaring. I leaned back on the wall behind me, my gaze not shifting from his face, not breaking eye contact in any way. Not even to blink. I just stood there, not moving, giving him the blank stare that had unnerved many a professional before him. If this kid thought that he was going to get a rise out of me, then he was wrong. I sighed heavily and angrily and looked away, breaking the eye contact. I felt the corner of my mouth curl in the tiniest of smiles, but I got rid of it the moment he looked up, returning my face to its blank expression. I wasn't going to give this guy an inch.

"What makes you think you deserve her?" He spat at me, the hate clear in his voice.

"What makes you think you have the right to ask me that?" I countered coolly, throwing him off guard with my tone. I could see that he was expecting me to blow up at him, start yelling at him and act all possessive over Bella. It's true, I _was_ possessive over Bella, but I wasn't going to blow up at this guy. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"Because I'm her best friend." He replied, his tone beginning to get slightly irritated now.

"So?" I shrugged my shoulders slightly, my gaze still not wavering from his face. I still had yet to blink and I could tell that it was unnerving him.

"What do you mean "so"?" He asked me, anger welling up in his voice now. It was obvious that his plan was to get me angry enough to blow up at him, while everyone else watched and heard everything, so I could tell that he wasn't happy that I was the one remaining calm. I could tell that I had flipped the control of this situation, just like I had done with Jennie on my first day at the clinic.

"So?" I shrugged again. "You think that that gives you the right to dig into her personal relationships? To harrass her boyfriend?" I cocked my head to the side appearing curious. It had the effect that I was aiming for. He was getting angrier now. Where I had learned to get a rise out of people like this I wasn't sure, but I had always known that it would pay off someday, and it was. Right now.

"It sure as hell does!" He said forcefully. I could tell that he was trying to keep his voice down so as not to attract the attention of the people inside.

"And why is that?" I asked, crossing one of my ankles over the other, adding to my casual stance. I saw that this angered him even more as he was not expecting me to be so calm. _Oh if only you knew, Jacob._ I thought to myself. _If only you knew how good of an actor I really am._

"I don't want her getting hurt." He said quickly, holding his chin high as though that justified his actions.

"Is that so?" I smiled at him, causing him to scowl. "Well, if that's the case then I'll just be going, because as I said, Charlie beat you to that talk." I finally broke the eye contact with him, picked up my drink and turned to go inside.

"I'm surprised you're drinking that." I said as I was about to step through the door. "Isn't it a bit high in calories?" _Oh, no he didn't!!!_ I thought angrily. He did not just say that! How the hell did he even find out?! I was going to have to talk to Bella, and pretty quickly. I would have to settle this with Jacob first.

I turned around to face him, my blank stare still in place, but I could feel the anger and hate pouring from my eyes. He stood there, his arms still folded over his chest, but instead of the scowl that was on his face a moment ago, there was a triumphant smirk there in its place.

"What did you just say?" I snarled at him, slightly taken aback at the venom in my voice.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" The smirk grew bigger as he realised that he had in fact hit an extremely sensitive nerve. He tried to appear casual at that point, looking at the nails on one of his hands, pretending to inspect them for something. "Funny. An eating disorder. Kind of a girly thing, don't you think?"

I turned myself around to face him fully. "Yeah? And what do you know about it?" I snapped back. I walked towards him slowly, determined to keep calm. "Huh? What do you know about it?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't let myself get that way." He looked at me, a triumphant look on his face. "Being obssessed over your appearance to that level. Not worth it man. All seems a bit fucked up to me."

I chuckled darkly at him. So, he thought that it was vanity that fuelled it, did he? Well I would have to enlighten him somewhat. "Oh, that's what you think? You think that it was because I was obssessed over how I looked? You think that I "_let myself get that way_" because I was worried about what I looked like? Did you?" He shrugged again. "You know, you are so far off the mark on that one." I shook my head, turning away from him.

"So....." He said, mockingly. "Enlighten me."

"Alright." I snapped back around to look at him. "How about this. Do you know how it feels to lose the only thing in your life that you can depend on? To have everything that you've ever known ripped away from you, and to be thrown into a world that you don't understand? Do you know how it feels to hate yourself so much that you'll do anything to disappear? Even starve yourself to the brink of death, wishing that something, anything would come along and put you out of your misery and stop the hurt? How it feels to have so much emotional hurt that you will do anything, _anything_, to distract yourself from it? Even cause yourself physical harm, to the extent where you could end up dead? I don't expect you to understand anything about this Jacob, but what I do want you to understand is that something like this does not come from _vanity_, it comes from having no other way out. It comes from having no other outlet for your pain. Some people, possibly people like you, are able to talk about their problems, but some of us, aren't able to do that as easily. So, those of us who can't open up, deal with it in different ways. Ways like this." I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt and exposed my arms to him, showing him all of my scars. Most of them had faded to white due to the age of them, so they glistened in the dim porchlight. Others, like the ones that showed as evidence from my attempt at ending my own life were still a deep purple from the damage that I had caused. Though I had not done any lasting damage to the muscles or nerves in my arms, the scars would forever serve a a reminder of that failed attempt. "Still think its about vanity?"

I walked away from him and rolled my sleeves down and buttoned them back up. "You know, you have_ no_ idea. And you know what?" I turned around to face him again. "You never will. Because, you like everyone else, don't care. You only care about what's on the surface. You don't care enough to see what's going on underneath. To delve deeper." I shook my head and put my hands on my hips in frustration. "The only person that has ever truly cared, and not out of obligation, is Bella. And you," I pointed at him, "have no right to question my relationship with Bella, or to pass judgement on me in any way. You don't know me. You don't know what's happened to me in my life. All you know about me is that I'm Bella's boyfriend. That's it. And for some reason its gotten under your skin." I felt my mouth form an "oh" shape as I realised. "It's jealousy, isn't it?"

"What?" He scoffed, trying to act like I was far off the mark, but hiding it poorly.

I chuckled again. "Jacob, if you're going to try to act like something's not true, you might want to do it with someone who hasn't spent the last decade of their life putting on a show for everyone around them." His eyes shot up to look at mine. I stared back, again using the unnerving stare that I had used on Jennie on my first day at the clinic. "And, yes, I'm talking about me."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, again trying to brush it off as though I was imagining things.

"Come off it, Jacob." I leaned back on the wall where I had been before, regaining control of the conversation. "It's obvious now. You like Bella and you want her as more than a friend. You're jealous that someone else is with her instead of you, before you had a chance to "make you move" as they say? Or maybe....." I felt a smile creeping across my face. "Maybe, you already tried and she knocked you back." I cocked my head to the side, smiling slightly. "Am I getting warm?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about." He snarled at me and I laughed.

"Oh, I think I do." I grinned at him, knowing that I was spot on, with at least one, if not both of my accusations. It could be that she had already knocked him back once, and yet he had been waiting for another chance to attempt at getting her again, and was jealous because I was with her instead. The expression told me that my guesses were right on the mark. Other people might not be able to read me and my expressions, unable to figure out what I'm thinking, but I found it easy to read other people. The only one I couldn't read was Bella. That was one of the things that drew me to her in the first place. Because she was unreadable, like myself. She was like a mystery that I had to solve, and eventually I fell in love with her. "Look, I'm with Bella. And nothing you say or do to me is going to change that fact. So just drop it okay?"

"No."

"Excuse me?" I looked at him perplexed.

"I said, no." He repeated. "I'm not going to drop it."

"And why the hell not?" I challenged him, pushing myself up off of the wall. I was surprising myself now. I wasn't normally one for confrontations. In fact I hated them, unless it was Jasper and Emmett going at each other, but then again that was just funny. I usually avoided any sort of confrontation wherever I could. Which is why I was confused as to where this newfound confidence had come from. But deep inside I knew where it had come from. This guy, even though he was her friend, was threatening Bella in some way. I couldn't let that happen. My feelings for Bella ran too deep, were too overpowering to ignore that. And so my heart began ruling my head as I squared up to Jacob, still staring at him.

"Because I know that she can do better than you." He snarled back.

"Oh and by that you mean you?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Not necessarily." He shrugged. "Anyone else but you."

"And why is that?" I asked, feeling my anger bubbling to the surface now. "What is it that you have against me Jacob? I mean, you've never met me before tonight? So why this personal hatred for me? Huh?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"It's true that I might not have met you before tonight, but I've heard stories about you." He smirked back at me. "Of your instability. Of how you're insane enough not eat anything and to slice yourself up whenever you get the chance." He glanced at my arms. "And now I see that the things I've heard were true." He stepped towards me slowly. "You're nothing but an fucked up little freak who-"

"Jacob Black!" Someone shouted behind me. I turned around to see Bella standing there, seething and staring daggers at Jacob. I turned back to him and saw him glaring daggers at me. "What the hell is going on here?!" She asked, looking between the two of us as she stepped through the door onto the porch.

"Ask him." I said flatly, walking past her and back into the house, leaving her outside with Jacob.

I knew that she would be able to handle Jacob on her own. My Bella was stronger than she looked and I knew that she wasn't afraid of someone like him.

I just needed to be alone for a little while.

**There's the confrontation between Jacob and Edward. Sorry, for all you Jacob lovers reading this, but in this story he's not a nice character. Sorry again. Hopefully this isn't another reason for me to head back into hiding.**

**I'm sorry to say that this might be my last update for a while, as I'm going back home tomorrow for a week and I don't know when I'll be able to update. I hope that it won't be a week before I can update, but I can't promise anything. I'm going to try to get the next chapter up tonight before I leave. It will be BPOV. Beginning from where she interrupts the fight. Oooooo Jacobs in trouble ^_^**

**Please review, I love them very muchly.**

**xxx**


	7. How Could You?

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**BPOV**

I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. I thought that Jacob was supposed to be my friend. And aren't friends supposed to support each other no matter what? Not according to Jacob. I get downstairs to be told that Edward and Jacob have gone outside to talk. I thought that that would be a good thing. You know, my best friend and my boyfriend talking, getting to know each other a bit. So I went out to find them, only to hear Jacob calling Edward a fucked up freak!

I lost it.

I completely and utterly lost it.

"Jacob Black!" I shouted, not caring who heard me. How dare he speak to Edward like that? I swear if he causes Edward to go backwards in any way, then I won't be held responsible for my actions. "What the hell is going on here?" I said forcefully, looking between the two of them, walking out onto the porch. I rested my gaze on Jacob, looking for an answer, but it was Edward who spoke, in a forced and harsh tone, that I knew wasn't directed at me. I couldn't help feeling a little hurt by it though.

Edward walked past me, a look of pain and hurt on his face and back into the house. "Ask him." He muttered. I could tell that whatever Jacob had said or done had hurt him. I could also tell that he needed time alone at the moment. He always does when he wears that expression. It was okay. I would give him some time to cool down and sort things out in his own head before I went to see him. I knew that he would go to his room. He wouldn't want to be downstairs at the moment, even if it was his own party. And there was an upside to Edward needing a little time on his own. It gave me time to deal with Jacob.

I turned back to the boy who was supposed to be my best friend. "Well?" I said pointedly, crossing my arms over my chest and staring at him. I had learned how to stare at people from observing Edward and I was finding it incredibly useful at this very moment. I had never thought that I would be using it on one of the only people I thought I could trust in the world. I didn't give out my trust easily and this was a perfect example why. Jacob had just shattered whatever trust I had had in him with a few simple words that had an extremely harsh meaning.

"Well, what?" He asked staring back at me, no sign of remorse for what he had said on his face at all.

"Well what?!" I scoffed. "You know exactly what, Jacob Black! What the hell did you think you were doing?"

"Talking to Edward." He stated simply, mimicking my stance.

"Right," I nodded. "So "talking to Edward" involves insulting him? And on his birthday?" I could believe Jacob. I wanted to believe that he would show some sort of remorse for what he had said but I wasn't holding my breath. Jacob was almost as stubborn as Edward was. I say almost.

He just shrugged. "He's a big boy. He'll get over it."

"You really have no idea do you, Jacob?" I shook my head and glared at him. "Edward is still extremely fragile at the moment. One wrong word could undo all those months of therapy and hard work. And how did you even find out?" He shrugged again. "Not an answer, Jacob." I was getting pissed now. I wanted to know how he had found out and I wanted to know now. And whoever told him is going to pay.

"My dad told me."

"How the hell did your dad find out?" I asked shocked and then it hit me. "Charlie." I growled. After he had promised that he wouldn't tell a single soul, he had gone and told Billy Black, who of course would tell Jacob, who of course wouldn't want me to be with anyone else as I turned him down. I couldn't believe this. I was going to kill Charlie. "Tell me, Jacob," I said, lowering my voice, but keeping the anger in my tone. "Why did you say that to Edward?"

He shrugged again. "I thought he needed to hear it." He looked me straight in the eye when he said that, which made me want to cry. How could he believe that Edward needed to hear something like that, especially since we've spent the last eight months or so, trying to convince him that he's not.

"Why?" I breathed, gritting my teeth. "Why would you think that he needed to hear that?" This was something that could break Edward again. He needed people to support him, not insult him. He needed to be surrounded by people that would help his recovery and not hinder it. Jacob's words could set him back months. I just had to make sure that that didn't happen.

"Because he's no good for you Bells. He needs to realise that, and who better to tell him than me." His tone turned smug as he reached the end of that sentence.

"What on earth are you talking about? What you think that he's what? Stuck-up? Spoilt? Cocky? A player? What, Jacob?" I was losing my temper now.

"He's probably all of those things." Jacob wasn't wavering in his belief that Edward was wrong for me. I couldn't believe that the person who was supposed to be my best friend thought this way about the man I loved.

"Yeah. Yeah that's right." I nodded my head, my voice thick with sarcasm. "He's just come out of eight months of intensive therapy because he's cocky. He's still having to undergo therapy because his ego is too big. The Cullens' have a family session planned for two days time because Edward can't leave his credit card alone. How stupid are you Jacob?!" I wasn't going to use his nickname. Not after everything that I had come to realise. "Do you honestly think that any of that is true? Do you know how long its taken us to get Edward to open up just a little bit? The tiniest bit? Do you know how long its taken Edward to build up his confidence?" I waited without getting an answer. "Come on, Jacob! I'm waiting to hear why you thought that someone with an extremely low self-esteem needed to hear the things that you said to him. Huh?"

"He seemed pretty sure of himself tonight?" He snorted. I knew instantly what he was referring to. Edward can seem pretty intimidating when he wants to be. The way he can stare at someone can give him the air of being confident, when really, inside, he's not. I remembered Michael telling me how Edward had shown him his stare before, and I hadn't believed that it could freak someone out that much. That is until I'd seen him use it for real.

I shook my head at him. "You mean the stare?" He looked at me confused, obviously wondering how I could know what he was talking about. "Yeah, I know all about the stare, Jacob. I've seen the effect that it has on people. And let me tell you this now, he is not as confident as that stare makes him seem, and I swear to god, if you've set him back in any way at all....." I didn't need to finish that sentence for him to get my meaning.

"He's no good for you Bells." He whispered, his eyes never leaving my face.

"Don't call me Bells." He looked taken aback. He had always called me Bells and me telling him not to must have been a real kick to the gut. "You lost the privilege of calling me Bells, when you started insulting my boyfriend." He stared at me blankly. "He's been out of hospital for three weeks Jacob. Do you really think that he's over a decade's worth of guilt and self-hatred? How can you even think that?" He shrugged again. "You know, you doing that is going to get really really annoying." I snapped. He didn't seem to care though. "You know what? I don't care what you think. I could care less if you think that he's no good for me, because I know what he has been through. I know what's been going on in his heart, his head and his soul. I just can't believe that you would think that about him, let alone say anything to him. Especially on his birthday. How low can you get, Jacob?" I stood there seething. I couldn't stand this anymore. Jacob wasn't going to believe in Edward any time soon, and I couldn't stand to be away from Edward for much longer, not when there was a good chance that this whole exchange had affected him more than he'd admit to anyone. "You have no idea how he's been feeling over the last ten years. He's been wracked with guilt and pain. So much so that he was willing to starve to death, just to disappear. How can you think that someone like that would have any sort of ego problems? You really have no idea at all, Jacob. I love Edward with my whole being Jacob and if you can't understand that, then......well, I guess that you have no part in my life anymore."

With that I turned on my heel and walked back inside the house. I heard him shout my name, but I ignored him. I wasn't going to answer to him, not when Edward needed me. I had wasted enough time on Jacob already. I had to find Edward. Before he began doubting himself too much, as I knew he would start to do soon.

People were still talking and mingling. I saw Charlie looking at me. He smiled and I shot him a glare, which earned me a confused stare in return. I sent him a look that told him that I knew he had told Billy about Edward. Even though he knew what the look meant, he didn't make any sort of recognition of it. I couldn't see Edward anywhere so I knew that he must have been up in his bedroom, as I knew he would be. I slowly climbed the stairs and walked down the corridor towards his room.

I pressed my ear gently to his door, but couldn't hear anything coming from inside. I slowly turned the handle and opened the door, searching for Edward.

When I saw him, he was sitting on the black leather couch that was in his room. He had his feet tucked underneath him and he had a photo in his hands. As I walked into the room, closing the door behind me, I saw that there was a single tear glistening on his cheek. He looked so sad and alone, just as he had when i first met him. All traces of the strong person he'd become over the last few months had been erased in this moment in time. I knew that those few comments from Jacob, if I didn't do something now, would break him. That was all it took for everything that he'd worked for to come crashing down. He was still so fragile. It broke my heart to see him this way. I couldn't stand it. I wanted to kill Jacob for doing this to him, for bringing him back to this state of mind. But I would deal with Jacob, and my father, later.

I walked over to him slowly, not wanting to startle him. He looked up at me with such a lost expression, I couldn't help but move as quickly as I could to his side and squeeze him tightly. I felt him nestle his head into my shoulder and I ran my fingers through his hair with one hand and rubbed comforting circles into his lower back with the other. I knew that both of these techniques calmed him down, so I was hoping that they would have the same effect now.

"Sshhh, baby." I whispered in his ear. "It's okay. It's okay." I didn't say anything else, knowing that it was just my presence that he needed and not my words. I looked down and saw that the photograph he had been looking at was the one that Carlisle had taken of us that day at the clinic. It was Edward and I, and we looked so happy and carefree, hair blowing about in the wind, laughing at whatever was going on outside the frame of the picture. Thinking back I remembered that we were laughing at Emmett being attacked with a Frisbee by Rose and Alice. I wondered why he was looking at this photograph. He didn't believe what Jacob was saying did he? I hoped not. I hoped that he didn't believe that he wasn't good enough for me. If anything I was the one who wasn't good enough for him. He had become so strong over the last eight months and I could kill Jacob right now for taking that away.

It all goes to show just how fragile he still is.

"Hey, love." I cooed in his ear. "It's alright."

"No," He whispered, shaking his head against my shoulder. "He was right."

"No!" I said firmly, pulling back so I could look at him. He looked so hurt and lost and it broke my heart. "He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about."

"Everything he said is true though." He shook his head and I wiped away the tears that were now falling. "I am fucked up and .... I _don't_ deserve you."

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" He cringed at the use of his full name, knowing that I meant business when I used it in situations like these. "You will stop thinking like that right this second." He looked at me with a disbelieving expression. "You are not fucked up! You've just had a difficult past is all. You've had your problems and you're working through them now. Jacob, he doesn't see that. All he sees is the fact that he likes me and yet I am in love with someone who is strong, gorgeous, kind, loving, gentle and quite possibly the best kisser on the planet." He smiled slightly at this.

"So, where is he?" He asked looking at me, seriousness evident in his voice.

"He's sitting right in front of me." I whispered, pressing my lips to his. "Don't listen to anything Jacob Black has to say, alright. If anything, _I'm_ the one that doesn't deserve you." His face twisted into that of shock and I could see that he was about to protest so I placed a my fingers on his lips, which he kissed gently, causing me to smile. "You are so strong Edward, and it breaks my heart to think that he has caused you to doubt yourself in this way. I could honestly kill him right now for acting that way towards you, and I told him that until he comes to accept that you're in my life for good, he has no part in it."

His eyes widened as I dropped my fingers from his mouth. "Bella, you can't just cut him out of your life because of me. That's not fair to either of you." He was shaking his head, not wanting to believe that I'd done it. "I mean, he's your best friend. You can't give that up. Not for me."

"You see," I said, placing a hand on either side of his face, wiping away the tears that were still falling. "This is one of the reasons that I love you so much Edward. You are so selfless." He looked at me solemnly. "Putting your own feelings aside so that I can have Jacob as a friend."

"I guess thats a turn around," He sighed. "Considering that I used to be extremely selfish. Hurting others in hurting myself and not really caring."

"You're not the same person anymore." I whispered, looking into those deep green orbs. "You used to be so lost, so alone. But now.....now you have me and I plan on finding every little last piece of you, and putting you back together."

"But you can't just stop being friends with Jacob because of me." He sighed again, pulling my hands away from his face and taking them in his own.

"Well, you know what? If he can't be accepting of you then, I don't want him as a friend." I stated simply and he shook his head.

"I can't let you do that." He said, his voice low. "I can't let you cut him out of your life like that. I mean, he's your best friend." I sighed, looking at him, to find a look of determination on his face. He wasn't going to let this go was he? "It's like you're giving up your life for me and I can't let you do that. It's not right."

"Oh, Edward, haven't you learned anything, love?" I stood up on my knees, looking him directly in the eye. "You _are_ my life now."

And I pressed my lips to his, tenderly, savouring every moment with my love.

**Whoo! Another chapter is up :)  
There may be a possibility of having another chapter up before I leave tomorrow.  
But if not then remember, that when I do get the chance to post again, it will be in adundance. Just because I can't post doesn't mean I won't be writing out the story as and when I can.  
Please review. It will make Edward happy again :)  
xxxx**


	8. Fights

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**I just want to say I'm loving the reviews that are coming through about the confrontation between Edward and Jacob and Bella's reaction. Never realised that there were so many Jacob haters out there lol. There are a lot of them. I love how you're all so taken with Edward. Seeing the reviews makes the hard work that I've put into his character all worthwhile.**

**I want to say a thanks for Shelby0321's review. That really got me laughing. Still giggling now as it happens.**

**BPOV**

I sat upstairs with Edward for, I don't know how long.

After a while, Esme came and knocked on the door, telling us that the guests had gone home and that we'd leave presents and everything else until the next day. The excuse that they'd used was that Edward was a little overwhelmed by the surprise and needed some rest. I wasn't sure if they knew what was going on but I would have to fill them in on the situation tomorrow.

"Are you going home, sweetie, or do you want to stay here tonight?" Esme asked me. "Your father wants to know."

Charlie.

I was going to have to have words with him when I got back tomorrow. There was no way I was going to be leaving Edward tonight. Not after what had happened. And he had been having such a good day as well. Trust Jacob to go and ruin it. I wouldn't be talking to that boy until he came grovelling to both me and Edward for forgiveness. And if Edward had any kind of relapse because of tonights events, the tiniest little setback in his recovery and therapy, then I would be driving down to La Push myself to beat the living hell out of Jacob.

"I'll stay here tonight, if that's okay Esme." I smiled at her and looked at Edward, and in doing so everything else in the world fell away. All I knew was that he needed me. And I wasn't going anywhere while he needed me like he did.

"Okay dear." Esme gave me a small smile and walked out, closing the door, leaving us alone.

"Love?" I whispered in Edward's ear and he took his head off of my shoulder and looked at me wearily. "Shall we go to bed?" He nodded and I stood up, gently pulling him up with me. He walked over to the bathroom and closed the door.

I decided to get changed myself while we was in the bathroom, saving us a little time. All I wanted was to hold him in my arms and for the both of us fall asleep. After changing I took my phone out of my bag. I had left it in Edward's room, on silent before the party as per the request of Alice. I flipped it up and saw that I had twenty-nine missed calls. All of them from Jacob. There were numerous text messages ranging from:

_Bells, please.  
Come on. We can't let this come between us.  
J xx_

to

_Bella, you have to answer me sometime.  
I'm not giving up on our friendship.  
I can only hope you're not doing the same.  
Jacob xx_

to

_Fine. I'll leave you be for now.  
I'm not letting this go.  
I'll come see you when you've calmed down._

I sighed and flipped my phone closed without answering to any of the texts. If he thought that he could worm his way back into my good books with a few texts then he had another thing coming. I wasn't planning on talking to him for a long time. When that was was up to him. He would have to apologise to Edward before I even thought about letting him back into my life again. It would have to be sincere as well. Not a phoney apology like the ones we used to give our parents when we knew that we'd been caught doing something that we shouldn't be.

Edward emerged from the bathroom and I held my arms out to him like an expectant toddler. He smiled at me and walked over, leaning into my embrace. I fell back onto the bed, taking him with and he chuckled. He laid his head on my chest and sighed. Even at this angle I could see that he had a slight smile playing on his lips. I shifted slightly and we both moved up the bed, so that we were on the pillows and I wrapped my arms around his waist as he nuzzled into my hair. I giggled as his warm breath tickled my neck. I could feel him smiling at my reaction.

"Thank you." He whispered and I moved my head back and kissed the end of his nose, which only caused him to nudge his head into my shoulder even more. "I love you, my Bella."

"As I love you, my Edward." I kissed his lower jaw lovinging and he sighed, his grip around my waist tightening slightly before relaxing as he fell asleep. It wasn't long before I joined him in slumber, my hands finding their place in his hair and on his lower back, as usual.

Waking up the next morning, I saw that Edward was still deep in slumber. His face looked peaceful and serene, showing no signs of the distresses of last night.

Kissing him gently on the forehead, I unwrapped his arms and slid out of the bed. I turned around and watched him sleep for a moment. He was truly beautiful, even with the scars of his past, physical, mental and emtional. It was all part of what made Edward who he was. I padded into the bathroom and went through my morning routine of brushing my teeth and trying to sort my hair into something slightly manageable. Tying my hair into a loose ponytail, I crept back into the bedroom to see Edward still asleep. Sighing, I quietly opened the door and walked downstairs, seeking to placate my growling belly.

Walking into the kitchen I found Carlisle and Esme already up. They both smiled at me as I walked in, and I, knowing where everything was and spending more time in the Cullen household than I did my own, started to make myself some breakfast. Grabbing a bowl from the cupboard I decided that I would steal some Choco Bongos, Emmett's favourite cereal. Even though they had my favourite cereal in stock, I was in one of those moods, and I knew that Emmett wouldn't do anything to me if he caught me. He was like my big brother teddy bear.

"Bella." Esme called cautiously as I was setting my bowl down and taking a mouthful. I looked up at her and smiled. "What happened last night?" I looked down at my cereal, not wanting to meet her gaze. "I mean, everything was going really well and then Edward disappeared. The next thing we know, Edward's run upstairs and you and your friend, Jacob is it?" I nodded. "The two of you are arguing. What happened?"

"Jacob....." I started, taking a breath. "Jacob said some stuff to Edward. Stuff that I couldn't let him get away with saying. Let's just say, Jacob's not my friend anymore."

"What kind of things did he say?" Carlisle had put down the paper that he was reading on the breakfast bar and was now looking at me with a worried expression on his face.

"You'll have to excuse my language, but I am quoting here." They nodded. "But I heard Jacob calling Edward a.....a......" I couldn't say it. I couldn't tell them what Jacob had called Edward. It hurt too much.

"A what?" Esme pressed, her expression concerned.

"A fucked up little freak." I finished, not wanting to look at either of them, but knowing that I had to.

Esme's hand flew to her mouth and Carlisle just looked angry. "To his face?" He asked, his voice hoarse and strained. I nodded and he slammed his fist on the breakfast bar, causing both Esme and I to jump. "I swear, if this causes Edward any setbacks at all...."

"That's why I was with him last night. I think he's okay." I tried to reassure them both. "I think he just needs a little space at the moment. What Jacob said really hit him hard."

"If this.....if he....." I had never seen Carlisle this angry before. Well, maybe once, when Emmett lost to Jasper at Guitar Hero and decided he was going to take it out on the wall, leaving a nice fist sized hole in it. Actually that one would have to come second.

"Carlisle, calm down." I laid my hand on his arm as Esme wrapped her arm around his shoulders. She looked on the brink of tears. "Edward seeing the two of you like this isn't going to help him. Don't worry, I don't plan on speaking to Jacob anytime soon."

"I should hope not." Esme said, but not in a warning tone. I knew that she wouldn't want me to ruin my friendship but her son's health and wellbeing took precedent at this point in time. I didn't care for Jacob anymore. How could someone be so cold and heartless. It was like he didn't care that he could cause Edward to relapse. Maybe that was what he was after. Maybe he was looking for Edward to really take what he said to heart, get sent away again and then he could "make his move". Like I hadn't already turned him down once before. "I should fix Edward some breakfast for when he wakes up."

"Oh yeah, Esme." I said in a small voice. She turned around to look at me expectantly. "Edward would never say this himself, because you know how he is, but I think that it would really help him is he was able to make his own meals you know. Fix his own breakfast and stuff. I mean, he's supposed to be getting back to normal isn't he? What eighteen year old has their mother make their breakfast for them?"

She looked puzzled for a moment. "I see your point." She sighed. "I guess what with him coming home, I just wanted to know that he was eating. I didn't really think, you know? I just wanted to know that he was eating properly."

"We know dear, we know." Carlisle assured her, rubbing small circles into her back just as I did with Edward. It was strange to think that she and Edward were so alike and yet he was adopted. "Maybe, letting him make his own meals will be a good thing. I mean, it _is_ supposed to be part of this therapy right?" I nodded, remembering what Derek had said about Edward learning to trust himself with food again.

I finished my breakfast and went back upstairs. As soon as I opened the door, Edward began to stir. He rolled over onto his back and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand, smiling at me sleepily.

"Hey, love." I smiled, walking over to him and sitting on the bed. "How are you feeling this morning?" I brushed the loose strands of hair out of his eyes and he smiled at me again.

"Mmmmm......" He mumbled. Suddenly he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him, so that my back was pressed into his chest. "Much better now." He nuzzled into the back of my neck and I giggled. "Where did you go?"

I turned over and looked at him, drinking in every tiny little detail. "I woke up early so I decided to go and feed my rumbling belly." I explained and he grinned, chuckling softly. I kissed him on the nose gently and rested my head on the pillow, staring deeply into his beautiful green eyes.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"For what?" I replied, confused. What could he be thanking me for?

"Last night." His face turned into the vulnerable mask that I hated to see. "You were there when I needed you and I cannot thank you enough."

"You don't have to thank me." I assured him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You being okay is thanks enough. You were strong last night. It would have been easy for you just to give up and.....yeah." He knew what I meant as well as I did, but I didn't want to say it out loud, because if I did then it made the possibilty real. "The fact that you were strong is thanks enough." I kissed him gently on the lips, revelling in the softness of them, when his stomach growled. "Hungry are we?"

He sighed. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to answering that." He chuckled and I giggled along with him. "I love hearing you laugh."

"I love hearing you laugh as well. It's as though everything before these last few months never happened, and we're just normal teenagers." He frowned, knowing that he would never be a _normal_ teenager. "Come on, let's get you some food." He grumbled but got up anyway, padding after me.

We got down to the kitchen and I saw that Esme and Carlisle were sat in the living room. They had obviously listened to me when I suggested they let Edward make his own meals. I walked over to the toaster as he took a bowl out of the cupboard. He, like me, reached for Emmett's favourite cereal. I knew that Emmett wouldn't do anything to Edward either. He would just be too happy that he was eating something to worry about what cereal he was eating. He would connect the dots later on, if he came down in time, but he still wouldn't do anything. He knew it was a big deal for Edward, so he was safe. Emmett would just take it out on Jasper instead.

I popped two slices of bread in the toaster and turned to face Edward. "Want some?" I asked and he looked up from his cereal and nodded. I stood there waiting for the toast to pop up, staring aimlessly into space as Edward ate his cereal. I wondered what had caused Charlie to tell Billy. Why he had felt that he had the right to tell Billy. I would have to get going soon. I wanted to confront Charlie as soon as possible. Get it out of the way.

When Edward was done with his cereal he put the bowl in the dishwasher, took out a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. Placing that down on the counter he opened the cupboard I saw him take out a bottle. It was his medication. He knew that he needed it and I was proud of him for remembering. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as he swallowed the big white pill, something that I couldn't do. I hated pills of any shape or size. Couldn't handle them.

After the toast popped up, we sat there eating it in silence, not needing to fill the room with unnecessary chit-chatter. The silences between Edward and I were always comfortable and easy. We never needed to fill them. We were just content with being with each other.

I looked at my watch and saw that it was nearing 10:30AM. I wanted to get home and yell at Charlie while I could. I knew that he was off of work today, and that he didn't have any plans with Billy. Not that that would stop me anyway.

"I've got to go soon, love." I saw his face drop slightly. I hated being away from him as much as he hated being away from me, but I needed to sort this out with my father. "I'll be back later, I swear." I leaned over the breakfast bar and kissed him gently. "No presents till I get back." I pointed a finger at him and he pouted. He still hadn't been able to open his presents because of what had happened last night. "Promise me?"

"Okay," He said, chuckling. "I promise."

"Good." I leaned over and kissed him again, before sliding off of the barstool and running up the stairs. Amazingly I didn't trip on the way up to Edward's room. I dared to think that my coordination skills may have been improving somewhat, but I would never say that out loud as I didn't want to tempt fate. Throwing on a pair of jeans and a tshirt that I had brought over yesterday before I took Edward out, after having the feeling that I would be staying over the night, I packed away the clothes I had worn the previous day and shoved what I'd worn to bed in Edward's washing hamper before walking back downstairs.

I walked into the kitchen where I saw Edward reading the newspaper that Carlisle had abandoned earlier. I looked over and saw that the plate on which he had had the toast was now empty and smiled slightly. He would get better. I knew he would. He just needed all the love and support that we could give him.

He looked up at me and smiled. I bent over and kissed him deeply. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. I've just got some things to sort out at home and then I'll be back." I said all of this lightly, making it sound as though all I had to do was put on a load of laundry and get a bit of homework done, not letting on that I would most likely be ranting and raving at my father about not being able to trust him or whatever. I didn't want Edward to know this as it would just worry him and stress him out. "I'll see you later." He nodded and smiled at me. I could feel him watching me as I bid Carlisle and Esme farewell and walked out of the door. The others weren't up yet, so I didn't have to worry about saying goodbye to them.

As I reversed out of the driveway, I maintained my usual speed, but as I got onto the highway that lef into Forks, I sped up, going as fast as my truck would go without it dying horrifically on me. I reached my house soon and saw that the police cruiser was outside, meaning that Charlie was home.

_Perfect!_ I thought as I got out of my truck and slammed the door a little harder than was normal. I stormed up to the house, my rage completely taking over as I jammed my key into the lock and threw the door open.

"CHARLIE!!" I screamed, not caring that this man was my father, or that he was probably in the sitting room watching television.

He appeared seconds later a worried expression on his face. "What?" He asked, panting through shock. _Good! _I thought. I wanted him to be stressed out. "What's wrong Bells?"

"How could you?!" I screeched, not caring that he was two feet away from me. "How could you tell Billy?"

"Tell Billy what?" He asked sounding confused.

"Oh, you know exactly what!" I stormed through into the kitchen, dumping my bag on the table and ripping off my jacket and throwing it over the back of one chairs. "Edward!" Charlie's face fell and got suddenly paler as he realised that I knew. "Hah!" I pointed at him accusingly. "How could you tell him Dad? I trusted you with that information. We only told you because I was spending so much time at the clinic with Edward. That's the only reason we told you why he was there. We thought you had a right to know. And then you go and tell Billy, who you must have known was going to tell Jacob!"

"Woah! What?" He looked genuinely confused now. "What about Jacob?"

"You know how he and Edward went outside to talk last night?" He nodded. "Well, I went out there to find them and I heard Jacob calling Edward, wait for it....he called Edward, "a fucked up little freak"." I made quotation marks at the last part. "And.....and he wasn't even sorry afterwards. He told me that he thought it was what Edward needed to hear. Dad, Edward could have come this close," I made a gesture with my fingers to emphasise my point, "to a possible relapse last night. He is still so fragile. And it's all because _you_ couldn't keep your mouth shut!" I shouted the last part of the sentence at him.

"I'm sorry Bells." He did look sorry but I wasn't going to let him off that easily.

"Why?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest, not giving him an inch. He knew that he had upset me, and that it was justified. He knew that he shouldn't have told Billy, but that didn't excuse the fact that he had.

"He asked where you were and it kind of slipped out that you were at the hospital with Edward." I could tell that he was being honest. He obviously knew that lying would only work against him at this point in time. "He wanted to know why Edward was in hospital and when I told him what the agreed story was he knew I was lying."

"You could have just told him that it was none of his business." I snapped at him.

"You know he would have found out some way." He tried to reason but that just made me angrier.

"No! No, Charlie." I didn't want to call him dad at the moment. I was too angry. "He would not have found out. The only ones who knew why Edward was in hospital were the Cullens and us two. Now I'm betting that the whole reservation knows. I wanted to take Edward down to La Push. To the beach. But I can't do that now, in case we run into someone who knows and gets all weird around him!" I took in a sharp breath. "You have no idea what you've done do you?"

"I'm sorry, Bells." He looked sorry, but I didn't care.

"Sorry's not going to cut it." I grabbed my bag and jacket and stormed up to my room, slamming to door behind me. Yeah, okay, it was a bit immature, but I was really past caring at that point.

I heard Charlie leave about half an hour later and when I looked out the window I saw that his cruiser was gone. He had probably gone to Billy's, with any luck to get Billy to agree not to tell anyone else about Edward. Like that would do any good. The damage was done. Charlie had told Billy. Billy had told Jacob. Jacob had probably told his friends, who would have spread it around the whole reservation by now.

I decided that rolling it around and around in my mind was not going to get me anywhere, so I flopped down on my bed and got out Wuthering Heights. I seriously needed to get a new copy of this book. This one was falling apart and I doubted it would last much longer.

About an hour or so later, I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention to the time, my stomach announced that it needed sustenance. I sighed and marked the page I was at, taking the book downstairs with me. Walking into the kitchen I set the book down on the table and popped two poptarts into the toaster, knowing that I would probably get fed while I was at the Cullens. When the poptarts were ready, I put them on a plate and sat down at the kitchen table, reimmersing myself in the old english countryside.

I pushed my plate aside, still completely immersed in the tale of Heathcliffe and Cathy, the tale that I had read so many times. Enough times so that I could recite almost the whole book off by heart.

I was brought out of my daze by a knocking at the door. Turning my book upside down, watching it lie completely flat from wear I walked to the front door and opened it, not believing who was standing there.

"What do you want?" I spat, trying to close the door, but being stopped by a foot and a muscly arm snaking its way in.

"I want to talk to you Bells."

"Leave me alone, Jacob." I snapped. I really didn't want to deal with him right now.

"No." He forced the door open, causing me to stumble backwards, thankfully without tripping. I looked up at him and stood my ground. I wasn't going to give in to him, no matter how much he begged. It wasn't me he needed to apologise to.

"What do you want?"

**Ooooo what does Jacob want?  
I don't know if I have the time to update again before I leave tomorrow. But then again I think I've said that for the last three chapters so who knows. Might be able to, might not. If I don't then I will attempt to sometime during the week.  
Please review. I love them very muchly :D  
xxxx**


	9. Presents

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Yay! Manged to get a moment to post this. I've had it typed for a while but no time to post. So here you go. :D**

**BPOV**

"I said, what do you want Jacob?" I repeated sternly, crossing my arms over my chest, not breaking eye contact with him.

"I wanted to talk to you." He replied, dropping his gaze to look at the floor.

"I have nothing to say to you." I stated, hoing that he would get the message and leave.

"How can you say that?" He asked, his gaze shooting back up to look me in the eyes, I guess I wasn't going to have any luck on the whole "him getting the message" scenario, was I? His eyes were full of anger and hurt. Normally, this would intimidate me, as Jacob was not a small person. Either that or it would make me feel sorry for him and want to embrace him, but I was too caught up in my own anger that was directed at him to care for his feelings at the moment. After all he had just insulted the feelings of the most important person to me in the world. Why should I care? I didn't flinch away from him, as I would have done normally. Instead, I held my ground, not showing him any weakness.

"After your little outburst last night, quite easily." I replied, surprising myself with how strong and in control of the situation my own voice sounded. I had told myself to remain calm and obviously it had worked.

"So what? You're going to throw away years of friendship for _him_?" The way he emphasised the "him" in that sentence began to get my blood boiling again. He was treating my relationship with Edward like it was some silly crush, that would be over and done with in no time at all, like it would dissipate with time and not seeing him as the man that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. "Does our friendship mean so little to you that you would willingly do that? Do _I_ mean that little to you?"

"Jacob, it's not me who is throwing our friendship awy. _You're_ the one who insulted my boyfriend. You're just lucky that what you said didn't affect him as harshly as it could have done." I was slightly proud of myself now. Jacob nearly always broke me resolve. And now I was able to stand up to him. Twice in two days. Like Edward, I felt like I was becoming a stronger person. More confident. And if it got me out of situations like these I could definitely live with being a little more confident.

"And why is that?" I could see a glint in his eyes now. A glint that I recognised all too well. That particular glint told me that he was up for a challenge.

"Because if he had done, then tehre is a very good chance that he could've relapsed, meaning that the last eight months would have been worth nothing. Nothing at all. All because of some stupid remarks by an ignorant jerk." I was seething now. Didn't Jacob see the severity of the situation. He had to see the potential damage that he could have caused with those few choice words he threw at Edward the night before. He shrugged at me nonchalantly, seeming to not really care that he could have ruined someone's life. "And," I continued, now wearing a sweet and innocent smile that also told him that he was in trouble. More trouble than he realised.. "If that had happened, or does happen as a result of your words at any time in the future, you're going to have a queue of people, just lining up and waiting to tear you limb from limb. Starting with yours truly." I placed a hand gently on my chest.

"And why would you be the one to start that queue off, eh?" He asked me, his eyes boring into mine, daring me to answer in a way that was going to challenge him. If he wanted a challenging answer, then I would sure as hell give him one.

"Because you would have ruined the life of the man I'm in love with." His eyes shot up at that and I smirked at his reaction. "Yes, Jacob. I love him. I am in love with Edward Cullen. Get over it and get out of my house." I said all of this slowly, making sure it sank in and he understood.

"No." He replied, standing there staring me down.

"Excuse me?" I stood there in disbelief.

"I said no. I'm not going anywhere until you listen to me, Bells." I could tell that he was serious.

"Don't call me Bells." I spat. I didn't want him calling me that anymore. Even though he had been the one to give me the nickname in the first place, it sounded wrong coming from his mouth and it left a taste of bile in my mouth. Whereas before it had been just Jacob to call me "Bells" that particular term of endearment was reseved for the Cullens now. He didn't look away from me. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "You've got thirty seconds then I want you out. Starting now."

"Listen," He said, taking a deep breath. "I just don't think that he's right for you."

"And why is that?"

"Come on. I mean, look at him. He's screwed up." He waved his arms in the air, as if indicating something that was or at least should have been completley obvious. Well, whatever it was wasn't obvious to me. "He's obviously unstable. I mean from what I've heard-"

"And what exactly have you heard?"

He took a deep breath, as if somehow knowing that he was treading down a dangerous path. I felt like pointing out that he was already sprinting full steam ahead down it. He stood there and looked me straight in the eyes, showing my no emotion whatsoever. "That he's spent the last eight months in a ......." He trailed off sighing, dropping his gaze to the floor again. "_Hospital_." He finished, emphasising the last word of his sentence as though it was something dirty and ugly.

"What do you mean by that?" I hissed through gritted teeth.

"Obviously it wasn't a regular hospital." He retorted ina tone that one would use as if explaining something to a five year old. He sighed, still not meeting my gaze. "I heard it was a .... different.....type of hospital."

"What." I stated sharply. "Like a mental institution?" He turned his gaze to look me straight in the eyes, not saying anything and yet confirming everything. I chuckled darkly, shaking my head. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Yes, he was in a hospital and no, it was no a regular, medical hospital. It was an _eating disorders clinic_" I put emphasis on the last few words, showing Jacob that what he had heard was a load of bull. "Do you know _why_ he was in there?" Jacob made no response at all, just like i knew he wouldn't. He made no movement at all, waiting for me to continue. "He was in there because he was suffering from anorexia and bulimia because of serious depression. He was, and some days more than others, still is, suffering from depression because he was feeling guilty over something that he couldn't control. The death of his parents." I looked at Jacob now. He knew what it felt like to lose a parent, he had lost his own mother when he was younger. It hurt to see that there was no change in Jacob's expression, no remorse or understanding in his eyes. He was as cold and foreign as he had been last night. This was not the Jacob Black I had been friends with when I was younger. "He felt guilty over their deaths. He thought that it was his fault. Even at tgat young age, he blamed himself and in some ways he still does and I don't think that that particular way of thinking is going to change. He couldn't deal with losing them, and that created an emotional hole within him. He refused to get close to people, for fear of hurting them or getting hurt himself. Again. He was in a kind of pain that he didn't understand. So he found a way to displace that pain. To turn it into a kind of pain that he _did_ understand. Physical pain. He began to starve himself, feeling the physical pain of that hunger and in turn, the pained that denying himself food would and did bring in." I didn't mention Edward's cutting problem, as I wasn't aware of how much Jacob knew abut that. If he knew anything about it at all. "He revelled in the control he had over what he ate and how he could control his pain. Something he felt he deserved because he felt guilty over his parents death. He was slowly killing himself. He knew it and he felt like he deserved it. And after ten years of holding onto that guilt he has finally been able to let go and begin to believe that there was no for him to change what happened and that there was nothing that he could have done to save them. There was nothing he could have done to save his parents." I could feel the anger rising in my chest as my hands clenched into fists. "And you, _you_, have the audacity to turn up at his _birthday party_, under the pretense of being there for my dad and me, and then tell him that he's not good enough for me and that he's _fucked up_! Do you know how hard everyone has worked to convince himt hat he's not? Huh? No! Because you, Jacob Black, have no idea at all, of what you're talking about! Edward is _not_ insane, nor is he incompetant in any way. He is is the lovliest, most caring, loving, generous, sweetest person I have ever come across and I love him with everything that I am. And your thirty seconds were up a while ago, so I'd like you to leave. Now!" I stood there and stared at him, waiting for him to object, but he just stood there and stared blankly at me.

He sighed. "Fine. I'll go. For now. But you have to talk to me sometime, Bella." The serious tone to his voice told me that he wasn't kidding and that this wouldn't be the last time he would try to talk to me about this. I also knew that it wouldn't be the last time that I would be kicking him out of my house. "But before I go, can i ask you one thing?"

"What?" I spat at him, wanting nothing more than for him to get the hell out of my house and out of my life. At least until he realised that he was wrong and apologised to Edward.

"What the hell is that?" He asked pointing to my arms, that were still folded across my chest. I looked down and saw on my right wrist the gleaming silver of th Cullen Crest glistening in what faint sunlight there was filtering through the windows and curtains that outline my home.

"What? This?" I held up the arm that held the crest and he nodded, hatred in his eyes. "This, Jacob, sthe Cullen Crest. The emblem that has been passed down through the generations of the Cullen family. It is exclusive to the family. I felt a smug smile spreading across my face as I saw the perplexed expression morph his features.

"Then why do you have one?" He asked the confusion clear in his tone. The anger and hate that was present earlier in the conversation still lingered in his voice but were burning holes with his eyes.

"Because," I replied slowly as though I was talking to a child. "That's how close I am to the Cullen family. It's like I'm one of their own. I love them and they love me. And there is nothing that you can do or say that will change that. There is nothing _anyone_ can do or say that will change that. So," I added, the sweet, mocking and yet innocent smile I had on my face earlier again present on my face. "You can get out of my house now."

He glared at me for a few more moments, before turning on his heel and storming through the front door, slamming it unnecessarily hard in the process.

I leant back against the wall and slid down it, bringing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs. I sat there for a few minutes, trying to process what had just happened. Jacob showed absolutely no remorse for what he had done. He didn't care that Edward could potentially slip back into his depression and dangerous habits. In a way, Jacob's behaviour had given off the vibe that told me he _wanted_ that reaction from Edward. That he wanted Edward to get ill again. For what reason I didn't know. He should have known that wherever Edward went I would follow. I couldn't live without Edward. He was too precious to me.

I looked at the time and decided to get ready and make my way back to the Cullens.

I made my way up the stairs and quickly jumped in the shower. Showering in record time I got myself dressed and packed some clothes. Enough for a couple of nights. I guessed that with what had happened with Charlie this morning there was a good chance that I would be staying with the Cullens for a few days. Something that was a regular occurance. Of course there would be little chance of me actually being able to wear my own clothes, as Alice and Rosalie always revelled in a chance to dress me up. Something they took full advantage of whenever they could.

On the drive back to the Cullens' I couldn't get the confrontation I had had with Jacob out of my head. He had the nerve to come to my house, of all places, and tell me that he thought that my boyfriend wasn't good enough for me. That he had heard that he had been in a mental hospital. Jacob is just lucky that I didn't take my anger out on his nether regions when I had the chance, and being honest, I had come extremely close, only just managing to keep myself under control.

I turned off at the Cullens' extensive driveway, which in all honesty, was too long, but it served the purpose of keeping the house secretive and removed from the road. Which I guess had been the overall desire when it had been built. As I drove up the familiar driveway, I wondered how upset Alice must have been when she found out that I had told Edward no presents until I got back. If she thought that she was the only one with that power then she was wrong. The only difference is that she had to hide his presents so he wouldn't open them. All I had to do was ask. I smiled to myself, thinking that what people kept saying must be true to some extent. Maybe he was as dazzled by me as I was by him. People said it often enough. I couldn't help but grin thinking of Edward tongue-tied and jelly-kneed because of me. Somehow it didn't ring true, but hey, a girl could dream.

I removed my keys from the ignition and climbed out of the truck. Walking up to the door, I put my key in the lock and let myself in. I could hear Jasper and Emmett bickering about something and knew that before long it would escalate into a full-fledged fight, as it always did. I hung up my jacket and removed my shoes, placing them on the shoe rack moments before a pair of strong arms encircled my waist, gripping me tightly.

"Welcome back, love." Edward whispered in my ear and I couldn't help but grin. I twisted round in his grasp and wrapped my arms around his neck, gently pulling him face down to meet mine, pressing his lips to mine in a tender kiss. I felt him smile against my lips and I giggled. "Miss me that much did you?" I nodded, kissing him gently on the end of the nose.

"DID NOT!" I heard Emmett yell as Jasper made his way from the living room to the back garden, flying past us with Emmett hot on his heels. I looked at Edward, raising an eyebrow and he shrugged, a perplexed look on his face. I couldn't help but giggle at the stupidity of his brothers and he chuckled as I rested my head on his chest.

"Isabella Marie Swan!" I heard Alice cry. Looking up I saw her standing at the top of the stairs staring at me with frustrated eyes. Edward's arms tensed around me slightly, as if he knew exactly what she wanted. "Why did you tell Edward no presents?!"

I laughed. I should have known that was what she would be upset about. "Because I didn't want to miss Edward opening his presents." I looked at him and he smiled. I pressed a quick kiss to his lips and he grinned his beautiful crooked grin at me. "And unlike some people I don't have to hide them from him." I looked at her and childishly poked my tongue out.

"Alright, alright." She bounded down the stairs and I could tell that I was forgiven. She waved at us to follow her through to the living room. I looked at Edward who grinned back at me.

"Prezzie time." He chuckled. I loved seeing him like this. It was like he hadn't missed out on such a long period of his life. He was a regular teenager. We flopped down on the sofa, Edward's arms around my waist all the time. I settled back against him, his form fitting mine in every single way. Like we were made specifically for one another and rested my head on his chest. I looked up and saw Esme and Carlisle grinning at us. I flushed and buried my head into Edward's chest, which earned a laugh from all three of them. "Stop it, you two." Edward scolded his parents, a laugh present in his voice. "You're embarrassing Bella."

"We're very sorry," Carlisle apologised, still chuckling, placing a hand on his wife's knee.

"It's just that you two are so cute together." Esme said smiling. "You should see yourselves. It's like the two of your are halves of one whole. The way you fit together." She sighed. "It's perfect." She looked at Carlisle and I saw on his face the same look that Edward's seemed to carry. When he was looking at me. I knew at that moment that I must always be wearing the same expression that Esme wore constantly. I smiled, knowing how the two of them were feeling. Because I felt it all of the time. Even more so at this moment in time, snuggled up in Edward's arms. I was home.

Alice reappeared towing Jasper and Emmett in behind her, the two of them obviously put out at the fact that they hadn't been able to settle their dispute. Alice and Emmett sat on the sofa whilst Jasper curled up on the floor in front of them, resting his back on the sofa and curling his legs up to his chest. Rosalie appeared moments later sitting down on the floor in front of Esme and Carlisle.

"Right!" Alice chirped, bouncing up once everyone was seated. "Presents!" She crossed to where the pile of presents was sat on the floor by the coffee table and sat down in front of it. She picked up a present that was wrapped in green wrapping paper. I knew instantly it was a book of some sort, unless it was a puzzle. Alice looked at the tag on it, reading it carefully. "This one is from.....Rose!" She handed Edward the present, who unwrapped his arms from around my waist and took the present from her.

He opened the present and I saw that I had been right. To a certain extent. It was a book. It was thick and leatherbound. Not something that I had imagined Rosalie getting Edward for his birthday, but then again, Rose, along with the rest of the Cullens' were extremely unpredictable. I was surprised when I saw the title. _Piano Greats. Masterpieces for the Experienced Pianist._ I knew that Edward had once played the piano, but had given it up years ago, due to his depression. I watched his reaction and I saw his eyes light up when he saw it.

He looked up at Rose who was smiling sheepishly at him. "Rose...." He started. "Thank you."

"Well, I thought that you might want to start playing again, what with....you know...." She looked down and started to play with a strap on her shoes. "Even though its been years, I miss you playing Edward. For some reason, no matter what kind of day I'd had, hearing you play, made me feel safe. At home." She looked up and I saw she had tears in her eyes. He stood up and walked across to her before dropping to his knees and embracing her. I couldn't help but smile at the scene. It was heartwarming to see them like that. No matter what had happened in the past, or what had transpired between them, they were brother and sister. To the end.

After Edward sat down, Alice began handing him more presents. Edward received a new iPod Touch from Jasper, a Nintendo DS from Emmett and two tickets to see HIM in concert in Seattle in two weeks time from Alice.

"And finally," Carlisle said, standing up and handing Edward an envelope. "Our gift." He sat back down as Edward opened the envelope. I looked at what he had in his hands and I saw that it was two open ended tickets, to anywhere in the States. And I mean _anywhere._ And reservations that had been made at the Ritz hotel, that could be taken up at any of their hotels at any time for however long.

I looked up at Edward, who was sat there staring open-mouthed at Carlisle and Esme. Before I knew what was happening Edward had launched himself up off of the sofa and was embracing Esme and Carlisle.

"Thank you." I heard him mumble. "So much."

"Anything my son." Carisle whispered back. "After everything that you've been through. After how strong you have been over recent months. You deserve it. And I expect those to be made full use of over the summer." He pulled back, releasing Edward and looked at me pointedly. I nodded vigorously, smiling at Edward as he sat down. I kissed him softly on the lips and settled back down on his chest, as Jasper and Emmett started their argument back up. I rolled my eyes at the stupidity of the two of them and saw Edward doing the same as he watched them. Before I knew it, they were both gone and Esme followed them outside, shouting at them not to break anything. Alice and Rosalie grinned at each other and followed them out. Knowing those two they had taken bets as to who would win and wanted to see who would walk away the victor. Esme walked back in rolling her eyes and she and Carlisle disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Edward and I alone on the sofa, enjoying each other's company. Something I was not complaining about.

I don't know how long we sat there in the comfortable silence, following the rhythm of each others breathing and me listening to his heartbeat as he rested his head on mine, but after a while my phone began to vibrate. I took it out of my pocket, ignoring a grumbling Edward who was complaining because I had moved. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Charlie phoning me. He would know where I was so it had to be important for him to be phoning me.

"Hello?" I said, flipping up the phone.

"Bella?" Charlie sounded slightly distressed. "I need you to come home. I need to talk to you."

I rolled my eyes, hoping that it wasn't about Billy or Jacob as Charlie already knew my opinion on the two of them at the moment. "All right, what is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it over the phone." He said in a hurried way. "How long do you think it'll take you to get back?"

"Um," I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. A habit that I had picked up from Edward. "About twenty minutes or so."

"Okay." He sighed. "I'll see you in a bit."

Before I could respond he had hung up and I was sat there listening to the dial tone on the other end. I closed my phone and looked at Edward who just looked confused. I grinned at him. He looked so cute when he was confused. I leaned forward and kissed him gently and I felt him smile against my lips.

"What was that about?" He asked as I pulled away.

"You know, I'm not actually sure." I replied honestly. "Charlie says that he needs to talk to me. Right away." I stood up and walked over to the door with Edward following me closely. I put on my shoes and jacket before turning to face him and wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him into a deep kiss. "I'm going to leave my bag here, because I _am_ coming back tonight. I'll be back before you know it." I kissed him again swiftly before I let myself out of the door.

I half-walked, half-jogged to my truck only tripping slightly once. Letting myself into the truck I turned on the engine and made my way down the driveway, before emerging onto the highway.

It took about twenty minutes or so to reach my house. Climbing out I noticed that the curtains in the living room twitched and I realised that Charlie must have been waiting for me to come home. It must have been important if Charlie had been waiting for me. I let myself in and saw that he had moved from the living room and was now standing in the kitchen, his back turned to me, his hands on the counter in front of him.

"Dad?" I asked cautiously, not bothering to take my jacket off. "Is everything okay?"

He turned around and looked at me, a grave expression on his face. "I just got off the phone with your Mom." He stated and a million scenarios started to rush through my mind.

"What's wrong? Is she okay? What's happened? What about Phil? Is he okay? What's going on? What did she say?" I ran off questions without even giving him time to answer, only stopping when Charlie raised his hands to shush me.

"Your Mom and Phil are fine." He explained.

"Then what's the matter?" I asked, getting more and more worried by the moment as Charlie looked away from me, placing his hands on his hips and sighing.

"She wants you back, Bells."

**I've had this since Saturday, but I've not had the time to post it. Hope it doesn't disappoint.  
Reviews please :D**

**xx**


	10. The News

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Whoo! Another chapter! I had a couple of hours free so I seized the chance to put up another chapter :D**

**BPOV**

_"Then what's the matter?" I asked, getting more and more worried by the moment as Charlie looked away from me, placing his hands on his hips and sighing._

_"She wants you back, Bells."_

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded. Did he just say what I think he'd said. "What did you just say?"

He took a deep breath. "Your Mom wants you back, honey." He sounded apologetic. I looked at his face and I saw that he wore an expression that showed that as well.

"Why?" I didn't trust myself to form a coherent sentence.

He shrugged. "I don't know. She phoned about half an hour ago." He looked at the phone, fleetingly. "I tried to get it out of her, but she said that it was none of my business and that she wanted you back."

"Well," I sat down on one of the chairs at the table, placing my keys on the table in front of me, trying to process what Charlie was telling me. "I won't go."

"It doesn't work that way Bells." He sighed, shaking his head at me. "She still has primary custody of you. You have to go."

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. The traitorous tears. I didn't know whethe I was crying because I was upset or because I was angry. I think it might have been a possibilty that it was a mixture of both. I looked at the phone, stood up sharply, yanked it off the wall and rammed in Renee's number. I stood there and tapped my foot on the floor while I waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" I heard her greet on the other end of the phone.

"Mom?" I asked angrily. I knew it was her, so I don't know why I asked.

"Bella!" She sounded so happy to hear from me. If only she knew that I was calling to object to her decision. "Oh honey! I'm so glad you called back. I guess Charlie told you the good news."

"Yes," I said, dryly. "He told me the news."

"Honey, you're not excited." She sounded confused. "I would have thought that you would be ecstatic to move back to Phoenix."

"No, Mom, I'm not." I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. I looked at Charlie who gave me a pointed look, mimicking my gesture and I shushed him with a wave of my hand. "I want to stay in Forks."

"What?" She sounded shocked. "Why?"

"Because I do." I knew I sounded like a whiny child but I don't care. I _needed_ to stay here. I had no idea what would happen if I left. To me or to Edward. "I want to stay here. I _need_ to stay here, Mom." I began pacing around the kitchen and Charlie took that as his cue to leave. "I'm needed here." I added in a whisper.

"Oh yes," She sounded patronising now. "Charlie told me about the boy you're seeing. Oh Bella. You're not going to stay there for him. I mean, what happens when you go to college? You're going to go to different places and forget all about each other. It's inevitable."

"Edward and I aren't like that Mom." I told her. "I.....I love him, Mom." I whispered.

"Oh, Bella." She sighed. "You're young. It's inevitable that you're going to think that anyone you go out with is love. You'll move on. And so will he. Don't worry about that sweetheart. And," she added in what was supposed to be a flirtatious tone. "There are plenty of young boys around here that are bound to catch your eye."

"No, Mom." I stated. "There is only one person for me. It's only him."

"That's what you think now, but you'll think differently when you're here."

"No!" I stated. "I don't want to go back to Phoenix. I want to stay here!"

"Isabella!" My Mom tried to sound stern. "This is not up for discussion! You can have the summer in Forks, to say a goodbye to your friends but your flight to Phoenix is booked for the twenty-fourth of August. No arguments!"

I sighed angrily into the phone. I had tears streaming down my face now. "I hate you." I whispered and hung up. I didn't care that that was the last thing I had said to her. I wanted her to know that. It wasn't fair. I had decided to move to Forks to give her and Phil some space when they went on their honeymoon and now that she moves back to Phoenix for whatever reason, she wants me back. And she expects me to be happy about it.

I leaned back against the wall and slid down it, wrapping my arms around my knees as I sobbed. How was I going to tell everyone that I had to leave. What about the Cullens? Carlisle and Esme, Alice, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie. And Edward.

My Edward.

How on earth was I going to tell him? I couldn't even dream of how he would react. He would be heartbroken. He would break down. He would relapse.

And it would be all my fault.

_No._ I thought angrily. _Not my fault. Renee's fault._ I wasn't going to call her "Mom" anymore. She was Renee. She didn't deserve for me to call her Mom.

I got up and grabbed my keys from where I'd placed them on the table and was out the door before Charlie could even realise what was happening. I had to get to the Cullens. I had to see Edward. But could I tell him what was wrong? He would know instantly that there was something the matter, but did I have it in me to tell him?

I ran out to my truck, not caring if I tripped and rammed the key into the ignition. I drove as fast as I could in my beat up old truck, silently cursing the fact that it wouldn't go any faster. I just wanted to get to Edward. I was almost in hysterics when pulled up the familiar drive and turned off the ignition. I sat in the cab of my truck for a few minutes, trying to level out my breathing. I couldn't go in there like this. If I did then they would all know that there was something extremely wrong. But then again, they were all so goddamn perceptive nowadays that they would probably be able to tell anyway.

After thinking that I had been sat in my truck for too long I slowly climbed out. There was no doubt that they knew I was back. With the racket my truck made, how could you not hear it coming a mile away. After placing my key in the lock I let myself in slowly, closing the door quietly behind me.

I had removed my shoes and was taking off my jacket when Esme popped her head around the corner, smiling widely at me. Her smile dropped when she saw the expression on my face and her expression became one of concern. "Bella dear," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

"Where's Edward?" I whispered.

"He's asleep sweetheart." She answered in a low voice. "He went up to his room just after you left and I'm guessing he fell asleep a little while afterwards. Did you want me to wake him?"

I shook my head vigorously. "No." I gasped. "I need to tell you guys something. I think it would be better for me to tell the rest of the family before Edward finds out. I don't know why, maybe....it'll help him deal with what I have to say. I doubt it'll help but.....I just....."

"Sssh," Esme pulled me into a hug and ran a hand down the back of my head, smoothing down my hair softly. "It's okay sweetheart. It's okay." She continued to smooth down my hair soothingly as I sobbed into her shoulder. "Now," She pulled back slightly, pulling a packet of tissues out of a jacket pocket that I realised must have been Carlisle's and handed me one, taking another one out and wiping away my tears. "Let's go into the living room. Everyone but Edward is in there so you can tell us what you need to." I nodded and she wrapped an arm around my shoulder and we walked slowly into the living room.

"Bellsie!" Emmett cried upon seeing me.

"Sssh!" Esme hushed him and his face fell when he saw that I had been crying. The others turned to look at me and their faces turned to concern when they all saw my expression. Esme led me towards the sofa and we sat down.

"Bella," Rosalie whispered. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"I'll go get Edward," Alice said softly, starting to get up.

"No!" I said a little loudly, shaking my head. "I think that....I think, you all need to hear this before Edward does." She sat back down and the others all turned to face me. Carlisle walked into the kitchen a grave look on his face. He knew that something was wrong even before I had said anything.

"What's wrong Bella?" Jasper asked in a whisper, though you could hear the tension and worry coming through. I could feel it coming off of the whole family in waves. They must have known that this was something huge. Something that would affect them and something that would affect Edward in some way. And that worried them greatly. I hated being the source of any worry, but this time, there was no way to avoid it.

I took a deep breath and looked around at them all. "Charlie got a call from my mom today. That's why I left earlier." They all nodded. "When....when I got home, he told me that, um, that....." I trailed off, not being able to continue. I knew that I had to. That I had to tell them. They deserved to know. They _needed_ to know. "She wants me back." I whispered and I heard a collective gasp come from all of them. I looked at them all and I saw expressions showing varying degrees of anguish on their faces. Emmett and Jasper had masks of anger on their faces. They were trying not to blow up, that much I could see, and they were having a tough time with it as well. Rose and Alice's hands had both flown to their mouths when they gasped. I saw that they both had tears in their eyes, tears that they were trying very hard to keep back.

I looked back at Esme and Carlisle and they both looked as though someone had taken their only child from them. They were devastated. That's the only way I could describe the expressions on their faces.

"When?" Alice gasped out. "Where? Why?" She was beginning to sob now and I moved over to where she was sat and I wrapped my arms around her, my sobs coming in time with hers as I buried my head in her shoulder. I don't know how long we stayed like that but when we broke apart Rosalie and Esme both had tears streaming down their cheeks and Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle were close. I looked around at the people I considered my family and broke down again. My head dropped to my hands and I sobbed, trying not to be too loud as I didn't want to alert Edward to what was happening. I wanted to be a lot calmer when I told him. I _had_ to be calmer.

When I calmed down I wiped my eyes with the tissues that Esme had constantly been handing me.

"Bella, dear." Esme said, her sobs reducing in size to silent tears that streaked her perfect face, ruining her makeup. "Do you know why" I shook my head, not trusting myself to form words. "Where is she now?"

"Phoenix." I replied and more tears made their way to the surface. I wondered how I still had tears to cry. I thought that I would have been all cried out by now, but obviously I was wrong because more and more kept on coming.

"Phoenix?" Jasper whispered disbelieving.

"So far." Rosalie breathed, staring off into space, not seeming to be taking anything in. Like Esme and Alice her gorgeous face and perfect makeup had been ruined by the tear tracks that ran down her face.

"Do you have to go?" Emmett asked in a low voice, which was very uncharacteristic of him. I looked at him and noticed that he had one eye on the stairs, just in case Edward made an appearance. He knew that I wanted to tell Edward on his own, and I didn't want him to find out any other way.

"Yeah." I whispered, fiddling with the tissue in my hands.

"This is so fucked up." Jasper hissed, his hands balling into fists in his lap.

"Jasper! Language!" Carlisle scolded him. Even though he was upset, Carlisle was still able to maintain the air of authority in the house.

"Sorry." Jasper mumbled, looking down at his hands, which were still fists in front of him. He was trying hard to keep himself under control, but like Emmett, he was finding it very hard to do so. They knew what would happen to Edward when he found out.

Edward would most probably revert to his old ways and habits. No matter how much the family tried to be there and understand for him, they just couldn't. He would return to starving himself. He would hide and throw up his food again. He would return to one of the only ways he knew how to get rid of pain immediately, if only temporarily. He would cut, adding to the scars that he already bore. Everything he had worked for over the last eight months would disappear. All of the therapy he had been through. All the tears that had been shed. All the revelations and confessions that had been made. The bearing of secrets. None of that would hold any purpose for him anymore. He would become who he was when I first met him. The lonely, depressed boy that no one really understood or wanted to get to know. But he wouldn't have anyone who was able to save him this time. I wouldn't be able to help him overcome his problems and help him onto the path that would save him this time. I would be in Phoenix, walking my own path of despair and depression, because I knew that that was all that I could look forward to in Phoenix. Lonliness and heartache. I wouldn't be home in Phoenix. It didn't matter where I was in the world, if I was with Edward, I was home. And I knew that on some level, it was the same for Edward. I knew that now. I had saved him as much as he had saved me.

We needed each other.

So many people told us both that we were like two halves of a whole. How we seemed to slot together like two puzzle pieces. That we were perfectly matched together. At first I had not believed what people were saying, but after seeing photpgraphs that people had taken, I began to see what they meant. The way that we were in each others arms. The way each curve and contour of our bodies moulded to accomodate the others. For a lot of people, they had to move their bodies to fit neatly with their partners, but I knew from my time with Edward and from seeing the pictures I had taken with him that there was no effort on either side. It was so natural. We just fit.

And I was going to have to give it up, because Renee decided that she wants me to go and live with her. She wouldn't listen to me when I told her that I wanted to stay here. She always thought that she knew what was best for me, but I knew better, even if she didn't want to admit it. To her, I was the child now. End of story. It didn't matter that I was always the one who had to look after her. The one who would have to sort out her mishaps and endure each week as her hobbies changed. And she has the nerve to treat me like a child.

I stood up slowly and made my way over to the stairs. I walked at a pace that, if seen on television, people would have noted it as slow motion and probably thought that their set was broken. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at the Cullens. My family. They were my family. They had shown me more love and care than anyone else in the world had ever done. They all shot me small smiles and nodded slightly, giving me the go-ahead and the reassurance of telling Edward.

I needed to tell him. I needed to be brave. I didn't know how he was going to take this, so I had to be prepared for anything. For any reaction.

As I approached his door, I felt myself shaking. I needed to calm myself before I spoke to him. He would know that something was wrong. He always did. But I would not give him to opportunity to know before I've even walked through his door.

Opening the door, I saw him curled up in a fetal position on his bed. His face was so serene and peacful. I didn't want to wake him. It hurt to have to think of this beautiful, peacful face in any kind of pain at all. I wanted to hope that he would be okay, but in my heart I knew better. It had taken a lot of people a lot of time to make me realise that he did need me. And I needed him. He was my other half and soon I was going to be over sixteen hundred miles away from him.

I walked over to the side of his bed and crumpled on the floor. I wanted to cry, more than I had downstairs, but I knew that I couldn't. If I started now and he woke up, he would instantly know that something was really really wrong, and would get himself worked up over it. I couldn't do that. I couldn't have him worry or stress out more than he had to. I would hold it together for him.

I hated Renee. She knew that I was happy here now. She realised that it was because of Edward. But she didn't know how much I was in love with him. You would have thought that with her relationship with Phil, she would understand. But obviously she didn't. There was no way that she could understand. What I feel for Edward, it's ...... undescribable. When I kiss him, it's like I've slipped in and out of heaven. There is no other way to describe it. The only way I feel whole is to have him there, close to me, my skin touching him. I yearned for it.

I yearned for him.

And he was mine.

He began to stir and I couldn't help but smile. He looked so innocent and pure. So childlike. There was no evidence of the things he had been through, of the thoughts travelled through his head for most of the day, of the internal struggle that he had to live everyday.

Opening his eyes, he smiled at me sleepily and I grinned back at him.

"Now that's a nice way to wake up." He mumbled, reaching out and pulling me onto the bed next to him.

I settled my head on his chest and sighed, closing my eyes, listening to his heartbeat. Ah, that beautiful heartbeat. It had a slight murmur, but that was probably a result of the heart attack he had suffered. I smiled to myself as I listened. "Good nap?" I asked him and he chuckled slightly.

"Yeah," He sighed as he began running his fingers through my hair. "It was actually. What did Charlie want?"

I sighed and sat up, looking him in the eye. I clasped my hand in his and began rubbing small circles on the back of his hand with my thumb. "I need to talk to you about that." His brow furrowed in confusion.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Shit. He knew that there was something wrong. This boy is too perceptive for his own good. He was always so in tune with how I was feeling. Normally, I loved the fact that someone knew me so much, to the point where they knew something was wrong the instant they walked in the room. But at the moment, I wished that he wasn't. If he wasn't then I may have been able to drag this out for a little longer, but I couldn't. I couldn't lie to him. It would only hurt him more when he found out the truth. I love him too much to hurt him more than I was about to.

I sighed and looked him straight in the eye. "Renee called." I breathed.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, his voice full of concern. I shook my head as I felt the traitorous tears welling up in my eyes. I looked down at our intertwined hands. They fit so well so together. Like they themselves were made for each other. Looking at them, I saw they matched perfectly. Pale and slender. Made for each other. "Love, what's wrong? It can't be that bad." He placed his free hand on my cheek and lifted my face up so I had to look at him. "Tell me. Maybe I can help." He whispered.

I shook my head again. "You can't." I whispered softly, just loud enough to hear.

"What's wrong?" He sounded really worried now. I could see the conern in his eyes and etched in his expression.

I sighed deeply, blinking a couple of times before looking at him. I couldn't bring myself to speak out loud so I settled for a whisper knowing that he would be able to hear me at such a close proximity.

"She wants me back."

**Carpe diem. As they say.  
Don't hate me, but I don't know when I'll be able to get another chapter up. There may be a very good chance that you have to wait until Sunday for another update. I will try to get another one up before then, but I can't make any promises.  
Bit of angst in there, but hey, like isn't all smiles.  
Some people have been requesting it and I can tell you that next chapter is back to Edward. It just felt right to have these couple from Bella's POV.  
Reviews please :D You know how I love them  
xxx**


	11. Tears

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Whoo!!! Somebody up there loves me! Or you! However you want to put it :S Anyway, moving on! I've got the place to myself until tomorrow evening so I'm going to try and post as many chapters as I can :D not sure on how many that will be at this point in time but I'll try. I swear I will. Everything will come out soon - the reasons why Renee wants Bella back, why she and Phil have moved back to Phoenix etc. So read on and ye shall discover.**

**Anyways, ENJOY!**

**EPOV**

_"She wants me back."_

Her words resounded in my head. Her mother wanted her back? How? Why? Why would she want Bella back after all this time? After almost two years, why would she want her back?

I wanted to shout, scream and protest. To tell her that she couldn't go. That I wasn't going to let her go, and that there was nothing that her mother could do about it. But I couldn't form the words.

"What?" I managed to whisper.

I looked at Bella closely and I saw that she was crying, silent tears streaming down her face. She opened her mouth and yet no sound came out. She settled for shaking her head in disbelief, looking down at her hands.

"Renee." She breathed. "She wants me back."

"Why?" I didn't seem to be able to form words that consisted of more than one syllable. "I, uh, I don't understand."

She shook her head. "Neither do I." She sniffed and I wrapped my arms around her, feeling tears well up in my own eyes. "She called Charlie and told him that she wants me back. That's why he wanted to talk to me today." She began to sob into my shoulder and I felt my own tears spill over and run down my face.

"Did she say why?" She shook her head into my shoulder and I rested my head on hers.

"She didn't say anything." She whispered. "All she said was that I could have the summer here and then I had to go back to Phoenix. I don't even know why she's moved back there. The last time I spoke to her - which was last week - she was in fucking Jacksonville!" She wrapped her arms around my waist as I started sobbing. I didn't care about the fact that I was crying in front of Bella. Hell, she's seen me worse than I am now.

I ran my hand through her hair and breathed in her beautiful scent, trying and failing to halt my own sobs. I felt her starting to rub small circles into the bottom of my back. Normally, this would calm me down, as it had done on many occassions, but today, there was nothing that could help me. Not even Bella's presence, having her here in my arms, could make me feel slightly better.

I had just found out that the love of my life, the one who had brought me back from the brink was being ripped away from me, and I only had what....two months? At the most. I couldn't say goodbye to Bella. I just couldn't.

"I don't want to go." She sobbed into my shoulder.

"I know." I whispered in reply, kissing her neck softly. "I don't want you to go. I need you Bella." More tears followed this from both of us. "I need you here with me. I don't think I can survive without you."

"I need you too Edward." She sobbed, breaking apart and looking me in the eye. "More than you'll ever know. I love you, so much! It's like, when I'm away from you....it's like I'm...."

"Incomplete." I whispered and she nodded. "Like there's something missing. Something huge. Oh, Bella. You're like my other half. Without you.....I'm nothing. Hell, without you, I'd probably be six feet under by now-"

She shook her head, pressing a hand to my lips. "Don't say things like that."

I pulled her hand away from my mouth, entangling her fingers with mine. "But its true." I kissed each of her knuckles gently and tenderly, savouring the taste of her. "Without you, I wouldn't be here. I know it. I would have been dead by now Bella. You saved me. You're the reason I'm here right now, in this room with you." She was shaking her head, but I didn't care. I had to get this out. "_You_ are the reason I'm alive Bella. If it wasn't for you, then I wouldn't be here. If you hadn't been stubborn and insisted on talking to me in the first place then I would be dead, Bella." I could see in her eyes that she knew it was the truth.

I pulled her close to me and we sat back on the bed. I settled my head on her shoulder as she ran her hands through my hair. Closing my hair I inhaled a deep breath. I wanted to stay like this forever. But I knew that that would never happen. Not if fate had its way. Something or someone up there seemed intent on keeping the two of us apart. First that thing with Jacob and all of the grief that had caused and when we'd thought that we were over that, this comes up.

"I can't survive without you either, Edward." She whispered. "You...." She placed a finger underneath my chin and pulled my face up so I had to look at her. Even with her face completely and utterly tearstreaked, she looked beautiful. "....are my whole world. My entire reason for being now. Before you came here, I was surrounded by fakes and phonies. People who didn't care about anything more than who's hooking up, who's breaking up, football, make-up or clothes. But you," She tilted her head and smiled sadly at me. "You," She tapped me on the nose lightly, smiling as I pouted at her, playfully. "Are so much more than all of those people could ever dream of being. I mean, they weren't really my friends. They only started talking to me because I was the new girl last year and after that I just kind of....slotted into the group. But with you, and your family, I feel like I belong." She placed a hand on my cheek, running her thumb backwards and forwards across my cheekbone, gently. I leaned into her hand, sighing and closing my eyes. "What you don't seem to realise, Edward, is that you saved me too." I opened my eyes and looked at her. I could feel my brow furrowing in confusion and she smiled again. "You did. Before you came along, I was alone. I had no purpose. But then, you came along. I'm not going to lie to you Edward, at first, I saw you as someone I wanted to help and nothing more. I thought that I would be able to help you and then we'd go our separate ways. But then, something changed."

"What changed?" I asked in a whisper.

"I fell in love." She replied at the same volume. Even though she had told me that she loved me everyday since we had first confessed our love months before, I felt my heart swell.

"So did I." I looked up at her and she brought her head down, touching her lips to mine. I deepened it ever so slightly before we broke apart. We weren't in the mood for anything like that tonight. Not after the revelations of Bella's mother's decision.

I had never met the woman, but I instantly knew that I hated her. She was forcing Bella to move back to Phoenix against her will. Something I knew was wrong. Bella would have to stay there until the school year was out, even though she was turning eighteen, because all her transcripts and everything to do with her academic record would be sent back to Phoenix and she wouldn't be able to transfer schools again.

_No_. I thought, a fresh wave of tears rolling down my cheeks. There was no way that this would end in a way where the two of us could be happy. My guess was that someone had told Renee about how much of a "fuck-up" I am and she's decided that she doesn't want her daughter to have anything more to do with me. A little self-centered or whatever, but that's the only thing that I could think of. Why else would Renee want to upheave Bella again, right before her senior year and drag her back to Phoenix, without letting her have anything to say on the matter? It didn't make sense.

"Bella, love." I whispered.

"Yes, sweetheart." I felt her arms tighten around me slightly and I leaned into her embrace. "What if....there was something else behind Renee's decision to have you back?"

"What do you mean?" She asked me, confusion resounding in her voice.

"What if someone told her about....us." I said trying to judge her reaction by her grip of her arms around me.

"Charlie did. She knows that we're together. She doesn't care." She mumbled, her voice dripping with anger.

"That's not what I meant." I told her. "What if someone told her the....circumstances." I couldn't think of what else to call it. I knew it sounded strange to call it that, but everything else that passed through my head at that point sounded a hell of a lot weirder and worse.

"What? Like, about the clinic and stuff?" She looked down at me and I nodded. "Who would do that?"

"People who don't like that we're together." I reasoned, not breaking eye contact. "You said that Charlie told her that we're together. Who says it wasn't him."

She shook her head vigorously. "No. I know that Charlie wouldn't tell Renee about that. I mean, I know he told Billy but I can understand how that would come about. That doesn't mean I've forgiven him." She added quickly as I raised my head off of her shoulder. "No. He's still in a lot of trouble for that one. But I _can_ see how. But he wouldn't tell Renee. He's not that cold-hearted. And besides," she smiled at me, "he likes you."

"He does?" I gave her a small smile back and she nodded.

"Yup," She smiled. "Very much. He told me just before you came out of hospital, that he couldn't think of anyone else better suited for me." I felt my eyes widen in shock. "I know. It shocked me as well. I always thought that with the way he had been pushing for me to start seeing Jacob-" She suddenly stopped and a looked of realisation flashed across her face. It was only fleeting though. It was quickly replaced by fury and disappointment.

"What is it love?" I asked her. "Bella?"

"Jacob!" She hissed through gritted teeth. I sat up and looked at her. Even though I had moved away from her she still had her arms wrapped around me, causing her to sit up when I did.

"What?" I was confused. What did he have to do with any of this?

"Jacob!" She hissed again, although this was louder. Her head snapped to look at me and I saw the fury and hatred blazing in her eyes. I'm not ashamed to say that it scared me a little. Bella could be extremely forceful when she wanted to be. "It was Jacob! It had to have been! Renee would never behave like this unless someone else convinced her that it was the right thing to do. The only one, other than Charlie, who wouldn't do it anyway, because all he wants is to see me happy, who knows something that would make her want to do this, and who has any way of contacting her is Jacob!"

I thought for a moment before realising she was right. He was the only one who seemed to have any kind of problem with our relationship. Something didn't seem to add up in my head though.

"How would he get into contact with your mom, though?" She looked puzzled. "I mean, you said that she's been living in Jacksonville right?" She nodded, not seeing where she was headed. "But you also said that she had _only just_ moved back to Phoenix."

"I don't see where you're going with this?" She looked truly perplexed with my reasoning.

I sighed and looked at her again. "What I'm saying is that how would Jacob get into contact with her? I mean, if she's only just moved back to Phoenix then there's very little chance that she would be in the phone book, right?" Her expression showed me that she seemed to now understand where I was going with this. "So, short of walking up to either Charlie or yourself and asking for her number - which even though I think Jacob is a dumbass-" She smirked when I said that and nodded slightly, agreeing with me. "He's not likely to do. So how would he have done it?"

"He has her number from when they threw me a surprise birthday party last year. She hasn't changed her number since then, so there's your answer." I could tell that she was still pretty mad because she had started crying again. These were not tears of sorrow, but tears of frustration. She reached into her pocket and took out her phone.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" I asked her, trying to take the phone away but she yanked it out of my reach.

"I'm going to call Jacob!" She hissed. I knew it wasn't directed at me. It was directed at the person on the end of the phone.

"Why?" I made to reach for the phone again, but she slapped my hand away.

"Because, I want to get this sorted. Now!" She found the number that she was looking for, and put the phone to her ear.

"Hey," I whispered, hoping that no one had picked up yet. "Speakerphone."

Her eyes lit up. This way she wouldn't have to repeat what he had said. She pulled the phone away from her ear and fiddled with it for a second before the sound of the outgoing call filled the room. She motioned for me to be quiet and I nodded. She didn't want him to know that she was with me, or else he wouldn't say anything. I moved around and laid my head in her lap as we waited for him to pick up. I closed my eyes as she ran her hand through my hair. I wouldn't be able to feel this for a long time and I was going to miss it so much. I lay there trying to keep a fresh wave of tears breaking free.

_"Hello?"_

"Jacob!" Bella growled. I mean actually growled.

"Bella?" He sounded happy to see her. If only he knew why she was calling. "What's up? Seen sense?"

"Yes, I have." She replied smoothly. "I've finally realised that I've spent too long worrying about my friendship with someone as low as you!"

"What are you talking about?" I heard him ask indignantly over the phone.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Jacob." She inhaled a deep breath. "Renee."

"Oh," Was all that came from the other end, confirming for the both of us that it was him that phoned her.

"Why Jacob!" She sat up sharply, almost squashing my head as she did so. Thankfully she stopped when she realised that my head was in her lap and she looked at me, an apology etched into her features.

"Because he's no good for you." He argued. "You know that. I know that. Fuck! Even _he_ probably knows that!"

I opened my mouth to say something but Bella placed a finger over my lips, giving me a pointed look and I shut up, pressing my lips onto her finger in a small kiss. She smiled at me before getting back to her onslaught with Jacob.

"No!" She almost shouted. "I don't know that! You! You have no fucking clue what you're talking about and Edward. Edward is the most amaxing person that I have ever met. He's kind and selfless, caring and passionate. I would chose him over you or anybody else any day of the week, Jacob. Now! Tell me what you fucking told my mother!"

"I told her the truth." He replied calmly, as if he wasn't losing his best friend. As if he believed that she would "come around" eventually. I knew my Bella better than that. She wouldn't give in. She would fight.

"Oh! Are you talking about the real truth, or your warped biased version of the truth?" Bella shot at him, her voice dripping in sarcasm. I turned my head, so that my face was pressed into her stomach so I wouldn't laugh. I knew that there was absolutely nothing funny about this situation. Hell, this was the worst situation I had ever been in, but there was something about the way Bella had asked that question that made me laugh.

"I told her what I know." I could tell that he was starting to get angry now. Probably wondering why she wouldn't just come around and think the way he was. Wondering why she wouldn't just go out with him. _Sorry Jacob_, I thought. _She's mine. And there's nothing - not wind nor rain, no distance, - that can keep us apart._

"So you told her a pile of bullshit!" Bella practically cried. "You know what Jacob?" She asked rhetorically as he was about to speak. "I don't care what you have to say, because I know that you're just going to lie to me about it anyway. Our friendship is officially over! I don't want you to contact me, Charlie or anyone else that I know. I don't care what your Dad does, but I want you out of my life! I don't want to hear your name at all! Goodbye Jacob! Don't come running!" With that she hung up and I stared at her in awe. "What?" She asked, coolly. She had meant to put on a cool and calm facade when she hung up the phone but the tears in her eyes spoke more than her words could. "I hate him."

She looked down at me and before I knew what was happening, her lips had crashed down onto mine and her tongue had made its way into my mouth. I still had my head in her lap, so that must have been incredibly uncomfortable for her. And yet I couldn't get up. She was holding me down with the force of her kiss, and yet, I didn't know if I _wanted_ to get up.

She broke the kiss a minute or so later, and we were both panting. I sat up and took her face between my hands, placing a soft, sweet and lingering kiss on her lips. "I love you." I whispered. "I love you so much, Isabella Marie Swan."

"As I love you, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen." She smiled at me before placing another kiss on my lips. She deepened this kiss once again and I felt her tongue licking and pressing against my bottom lip, seemingly begging for entrance. I parted my lips slightly and instantly her tongue was in my mouth.

I knew then that she was mine. I had to make her mine. But not in this way. I knew that she would never forgive herself if it happened this way. And being honest, that wasn't all I wanted from Bella. I wanted everything. I wanted her body, mind and her soul. I craved it. I craved her. I wanted to make her mine for all time. I made a decision in that moment. Nothing would happen tonight. Nothing physical anyway.

I pulled away from her and she looked slightly disappointed, with her beautiful lips swollen from our kisses, pouting. How I wanted those lips. She had no idea how sexy that expression made her look. I would let her know, when the time was right.

"Bella." I gasped. "I don't know how to say this but.....I want to....um, there's something that I want to ask you." Fuck, I had no idea what I was doing. This would have to be one of the worst ideas of my life.

"What?" She asked me, looking worried. "What is it, Edward?"

"Will you marry me?"

**Don't hate me for leaving it there. Don't worry. All will be explained in the next chapter. But I wanted to leave you guys with a cliffie, as is my style :P  
Review and let me know what you think :D  
xx**


	12. Edward's Plan

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**BPOV**

I sat there in shock. What the hell had just happened?

_Did he just ask me to marry him? I swear that he just asked me to marry him._

"W-What?" I stammered, not fully comprehending what he had meant. I couldn't seem to form a coherent thought.

"I know how that must sound but...." He took my hand in his own. "I'm not talking about right here, right now."

"Then....when?" I asked slowly, my brain finally able to process what had just happened. Edward had just asked me to marry him, but said not now. I figured it might be a good idea to find out what he meant. Maybe then I could finally put my brain into action again, because it had seemed to come to

"I mean, I know that there's probably very little chance that Renee will relent on her making you move back to Phoenix with her. I mean, you are always saying how stubborn she is and that that's where you get it from." It was true. It was Renee that I got that particular trait from. "I want you Bella. I need you. Every part of you. In every way. I need you to be mine forever. I know until you're eighteen, we can't do anything but I don't care. I want us to be forever. I'm hope that I'm right in thinking that at the first chance you get you'll be back."

I nodded. "Nothing can keep me away." I whispered.

"Then," He took a deep breath. "I know this isn't the best idea I've ever had, I mean I can't say that the thought has never crossed my mind, because it has. More and more. Whenever I think of a time when we could be apart, it kills me inside. I've finally begun listening to people around me. We are meant for each other. I can't live without you Bella. I want to marry you. I want to live with and love you for the rest of my life. I can't survive without you. I know that this isn't the best way for me to ask, and hell, I wanted to make it perfect when I finally did ask you, but-"

I kissed him, effectively cutting him off. "It is perfect." I whispered. "Yes." I kissed him again, deepening it until we both needed air.

"Yes?" He asked staring into my eyes, probably looking for some reassurance.

I grinned at him. "Yes!" I threw my arms around him and we fell back onto the bed, grinning stupidly at each other.

I couldn't believe what had just happened. Edward had asked me to marry him. And I had said yes!

I was going to marry Edward! Granted it may not be for almost a year, but I didn't care. We were engaged and that was all that mattered. Nobody could keep us apart.

Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen.

It had a nice ring to it.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked me quietly, running his fingers gently up and down my arm.

"Oh, nothing." I grinned at him. "Just about how nice your name sounds with Mrs. in front of it." He chuckled and I grinned at him.

"Silly Bella." He mumbled before leaning in and kissing me gently.

"What about you?" I asked. I was curious as to what was going on in that complex mind of his.

"What about me?" He looked confused.

"What are _you_ thinking?" I tapped him on the nose when I said "you" and he pouted at me, before grabbing my finger and kissing it gently. I giggled and he smiled at me. "Well? What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking...." He sighed and looked at me. "That I don't know if I can survive here....alone....while you're gone." He suddenly became sad again and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him to my chest.

"It's okay." I whispered, running my hands through his hair. He sighed and buried his head into my shoulder. I heard him sniff and felt something hot and wet hit the skin on my shoulder. He was crying again and I felt the traitorous tears welling up in my eyes. "Hey," I pulled his head up to look him in the eye. "Renee may be able to separate us for a short time, but like you said, the first chance I get, I _am_ coming back here. I promise you that. I know it seems like I long time, and it kills me that I have to spend any amount of time away from you...." I cursed myself mentally for the tears that had begun to fall. "Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to cope without you, but unfortunately, my stupid mother has decided for some reason that I have to. Even so, I know that I will be counting down the minutes until I am back here with you again. And as soon as I am, I am going to be walking down that aisle with you Edward Cullen." I leaned over and kissed him softly.

He smiled sadly as we broke apart and rested his head back on my shoulder. I ran my hands through his hair softly and it wasn't long before his breathing evened out indicating that he had fallen asleep again. I looked down at him and saw that he was still crying, even in his sleep. He looked like a fallen angel. His features were perfect and smooth, wrapped in the caress of sleep and yet marred by the tears that were falling.

I kissed him on the head and settled my head back on his pillows, gently running my fingers up and down the side of his neck. I closed my eyes and went through the events of the day.

First I had been told that I would have to move back to Phoenix. I didn't know why Renee had made that decision, even if she had spoken to Jacob, but I knew that I was going to find out. I'd had to tell the Cullens' and that was hard enough, but nothing compared to the difficulty and pain that was telling Edward. Watching the disbelief, the hurt and pain that ran across his face in those few seconds after I'd told him was excrutiating. I wanted nothing more than to tell him it was a joke. Something that Emmett had cooked up but I couldn't, because it was real. It was happening. And then something amazing had happened. He had asked me to marry him. I couldn't believe that it was true. And yet it was. It may not have been my dream proposal but all that didn't matter when it came from my dream guy.

With those thoughts filling my head I drifted off into sleep, with Edward plaguing my dreams.

**EPOV**

I woke up with my arms wrapped around something warm and soft. I opened my eyes to see my Bella sleeping peacefully next to me. The expression on her face almost made me believe that yesterday didn't happen.

But it did.

She was leaving. She was leaving and she didn't get a choice. All because Jacob had phoned Renee and told her something that he knew she would worry about. I didn't know whether or not Charlie had tried to convince her otherwise, and I seriously doubted that it would matter. All I knew was that my Bella was disappearing from my life as quickly as she had entered it.

Even with these thoughts running through my head I couldn't help but smile. She had agreed to marry me. I know that it had been a bad choice of timing and .... well, everything else, but in that moment, it was all I wanted. I wanted to marry her. I knew that now. I knew that my life would never be complete as long as Bella was separated from me. She was my other half, she made me complete. I didn't really believe in supernatural stuff, you know, vampires, werewolves, it was all nonsense to me. But I knew now. Bella was my soulmate. The other half to me.

I kissed her gently behind the ear and slowly and carefully unwrapped my arms from her waist and slid off of the bed. Walking into the bathroom, I glanced in the mirror. I looked like hell. Where my skin was normally pale, it was red and blotchy. A sign that I had been crying. My hair was even more disshevelled than normal and even I could see that the light that shone from my eyes, the life that had reappeared since Bella had arrived on the scene was gone. My eyes were dull and drained and I knew why. Because I was losing my life and soul.

Who knew how long we had left together before she had to leave? She had said something about the summer but I didn't know how long that meant.

I knew she had school today, so as I splashed water on my face I came up with a plan for today. I knew that the others were going out tonight. Some charity meal that was happening in Port Angeles that all of the surgeons at the hospital were required to go to. They were allowed to take their families so Esme and the others were all going as well. I didn't want to go and they'd understood, considering the circumstances. I assured them that I would eat when they were gone, and I fully intended to. The plan was to go to Seattle while the others were at school and Carlisle and Esme were at work. I wanted it to be official between Bella and myself. I wanted the world to know that I intended to make her mine when the time came. I didn't care how long I had to wait, she was going to become Mrs. Isabella Marie Cullen. The name had a ring to it and I smiled.

Walking back out into the bedroom I saw Bella sitting up on the bed looking around in a sleepy daze. I couldn't help but smile at her as she grinned when she saw me. She sat on the bed and held her arms out to me like a child would a parent. I smiled and walked over to her and sat down on the bed. She wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed my neck softly. I buried my head in her shoulder and sighed. She pulled back, a slight frown on her face.

"What's wrong, love?" She asked me, kissing me on the nose.

I smiled and shook my head. "Nothing," I looked her in the eye. "I was just wondering if last night really happened?"

"Which bit?" She asked me. "The bit where I told you I had to leave?" Her eyes grew sad as she looked down at her lap. She looked up at me with a small smile playing on her lips. "Or...." Her grin grew wider. "The bit where I told you I would marry you?"

I grinned at her. "Yeah. That one." I leaned down and kissed her deeply, smiling inwardly when she reciprocated. "Mmmm.....say that again." I looked at her again and she smiled.

"I'm going to marry you, Edward Cullen. As soon as I can." I grinned at her again.

I kissed her on the nose. "Yay." I rubbed my nose against hers and she giggled. "But unfortunately, you...."I tapped her on the nose. "Have to go to school." Her face dropped as she looked at the clock.

"Dammit." She looked at me with a scowl on her face. "You're so lucky."

"How you figure that one out?" I felt my brow furrow in confusion.

"Because you don't have to go to school." She pouted at me, so I kissed her, causing her to smile.

"True." I nodded. "But you do. So, go." I nodded in the direction of the bathroom and she pouted once more before climbing off of the bed, grabbing her clothes and walking into the bathroom.

As I got dressed and waited for Bella to come out of the bathroom, I went through my plan for the day. I was going to go to Seattle and work out how to make everything perfect for tonight. Bella knew I wasn't going to the charity meal. She also thought, along with my family, that that might be a bit too much for me to handle. I agreed with them all.

I sat there and ran through how I was going to do this. It had to be perfect. I had to make it perfect for Bella.

By the time Bella had emerged from the bathroom I had everything formed in my head. I knew exactly what I was going to, and I knew that tonight was probably the only night that we would the house have to ourselves for a while. I would have to get everything I needed when I was in Seattle today.

"What are you grinning about?" She asked me, walking across my bedroom towards me. She knelt down on the bed and took my hands into hers. "Tell me."

"Oh, nothing." I placed a small kiss on her lips and she pouted at me. She hated it when anyone behaved this way towards her. She hated people keeping secrets and launching surprises at her. Just as much as I did. I knew that she was going to like this surprise though. I looked at the clock and saw that she needed to get to school. And I needed to get a move on to Seattle to get things ready for tonight. "You need to go, love."

She looked at the clock and her face fell slightly and she looked back at me frowning. "I don't want to go." She whined. "I want to spend the day with you." She reminded me of a small child with that move and I chuckled.

"I know you don't want to, but you have to." I kissed her gently. "I want to spend the day with you too, but you have to go."

She pouted at me again. "Okay then. But....." She pointed at me. "What time is everyone going out tonight?"

"Um, eight o'clock I think." I told her. Actually they were leaving at seven but I needed that hour or so to get everything ready for her to come over, just as I knew she would. "You going to keep me company while they're all out stuffing their faces with people they don't even know?"

"Yup." She grinned down at me. "Of course I am. I can't leave you on your own all night can I?"

"No you can't. But you can get your little ass downstairs and to school otherwise you're going to get into trouble." I kissed her, pushing her off of the bed gently as she complied. She grabbed her bag, kissed my cheek and left just as Alice was yelling for her downstairs.

I followed her down the stairs slowly and saw Alice and Jasper yelling at Emmett to get out of the fridge and get in the car before they became late. I couldn't help but grin at the commotion as Jasper forcefully grabbed Emmett and dragged him out to the car. Alice saw me at the bottom of the stairs and waved at me before running out the door. It was something that I saw practically everyday and yet would never really get used to. My family was completely and utterly insane. But I wouldn't change them for the world.

Now to put my plan to work.

**What's Edward's plan?  
Can anyone guess? Most probably. It's not that hard to figure out. :P  
Please review.  
xx**


	13. Seattle

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

I waited until they had disappeared down the driveway before I moved.

First I went into the kitchen, knowing that Esme was in there and that she knew I was downstairs. She would get worried that I wasn't having any breakfast before going upstairs.

Wandering into the kitchen, I saw her sat there reading the paper that Carlisle had probably left before leaving for work. I walked past her and made myself some breakfast, pulling out some cereal and popping some bread into the toaster. I sat down in front of Esme and she looked up and smiled at me.

"What are your plans for the day, honey?" She asked me, looking back down at the paper and taking a sip of the green tea she had in front of her.

"Um," I thought, walking over and taking the toast out of the toaster, before moving back over to the table and taking a bite of my toast. "I was going to go into Seattle today."

I saw her look up out of the corner of my eye. "Edward." She sounded worried. "I don't know...."

I sighed and looked at her. "I can't stay locked up inside the house for the rest of my life." I looked at her to see her eyeing me warily. "There are some things I need to do and I can't do them in Forks or Port Angeles, okay? Some things that I need to get." I wasn't going to say anything about what I had planned. I hoped that Bella didn't say anything about what had happened last night to anyone. Knowing her she probably wouldn't. She wouldn't want to draw to much attention to herself, but then again, after tonight I wouldn't care. I wanted people to know.

"Do you want me to come with you?" She asked, still looking at me with a wary expression. Like she didn't trust me. But then again, why the hell should she trust me? I hadn't really done anything over the last decade or so to warrant her trust.

I shook my head taking another bite of toast. "No. This is something I need to do on my own." I made my expression serious now. "You can't protect me forever." I looked at her with an expression that begged her to understand. It seemed that she did, because in an instant her features softened and she smiled.

"I know," She smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder gently. I closed my eyes until I got used to the contact, focusing on my breathing. "But....even though you're technically an adult now, you're still my baby. You all are. I can't help but want to protect you Edward. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you. Or any of you. I just worry about you that's all. I know it may seem that I'm being a little overbearing or annoying even, but I'm only there because I love you. I love you so much, Edward."

"I know Esme." I looked down, not really wanting the rest of my breakfast anymore. "I just hate the fact that I've put you through so much hurt before now. I hate to think of the pain that I've caused this family before now." I looked up at her and saw tears glistening in her eyes. "I want you to know that I love you too Esme. You are the kindest, most loving, most caring person I have ever met. You are an amazing mother." I then did something that surprised her. I leaned over the table and wrapped my arms around her slight frame. She tensed a little and then her arms wrapped around me in an embrace.

She was smiling as I pulled away from her and she ran her hand gently down my cheek, lovingly. "You know," she whispered. "Even though she may have to go away for a while..." My heart dropped when I realised what she was talking about. "You and Bella.....oh...honey, the two of you are going to be so happy together. You two have the kind of love that people dream about, the kind that is written in fairytales. I see it every time I look at the two of you. It's written....in your eyes. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul. Well, I can tell you that the souls of the two of you, are destined to be together. There's no other way to put it. You both yearn and crave for the other. When one of you moves the other will subconsciously adjust their position to match theirs. It's beautiful to watch and to know....that finally....your son...is happy."

"Thank you Esme," I whispered. "I am. I am happy." I took a deep breath. "Being without Bella is going to be .... hard." I chuckled darkly. "That's a bit of an understatement." I mumbled looking at the table again.

She placed a finger under my chin and lifted my head up so I had to look at her. "You can do it." She whispered. I nodded solemnly. Could I? Could I really do it?

"I should get going." I stood up and took my plate over to the dishwasher. After placing them in the dishwasher I headed out of the kitchen to go and grab my car keys, wallet and jacket.

"Oh, honey. Chris isn't coming today. He's ill. We've rescheduled the session for Thursday." She called after me and inwardly I was skipping and jumping about. "Call me if you need anything."

I hated family sessions. It was like everyone was judging me. Stripping me bare for the world to see. Even though they weren't, or were trying their hardest not to, it was all that ran through my mind throughout those sessions. Besides, this way, I had more time to myself to get everything perfect.

I grabbed my jacket off of the stand and threw on my shoes before I walked down the steps and climbed into my Volvo. I had been so happy when I had had it given back to me. Another, sort of birthday gift from Esme and Carlisle. They told me that they trusted me enough with it, so they gave me back the car keys. The others were no longer allowed to use it for school, so they had to settle for Emmett's Jeep instead. Something again that I was happy about. I wasn't all too keen thinking about them driving everywhere in my car.

I pulled out of the driveway and started along the highway that led to Seattle. I didn't like this road. It reminded me of when I had been forced to the clinic. That was a day I wanted to forget and yet would always remember. The fear, anger and betrayal, the hopelessness, helplessness and finally being alone.

I turned on the radio and tried to tune out my thoughts of the clinic. I didn't really listen to the music that was playing, just using it as some background noise, preferring that to sitting in silence all the way there.

I thought about what I was going to do. I was headed into Seattle to try and find an engagement ring for Bella. It was going to be hard. I knew that she would want something stated yet simple. Nothing oestenatious like everyone else we know. I was running through a checklist in my head and envisioning how this night could go when I started approaching Seattle. I checked the time and saw that it had taken me a little over three hours to reach Seattle, but then again I may have been going just a little over the speed limit for most of the way there. I wound through the streets, looking for a place to park, when I found a parking lot. After parking and paying and displaying I walked out into the bustling city that was Seattle. I may have been there before, but my experience was nothing like it was going to be today.

I wandered down the street, noticing that I was getting a few too many "interested" looks from the girls and women around me. I tried to ignore them as I walked but they were starting to get annoying. I walked into a jewelry store and knowing, in my mind what it was I wanted for my Bella, I let my gaze wander over the many magnificent rings that were on display.

"Can I help you sir?" A woman came up and asked me.

"Yes," I turned to face her and saw that she was making what I supposed were meant to be "sexy eyes" at me so I cut to the chase. "I'm looking for an engagement ring. Something simple, yet beautiful."

"Of course." She nodded slightly. "Follow me." She turned and walked away from me, swaying her hips a little too much in the process. I glanced at a guy behind the counter and he had a huge grin on his face. He had obviously seen her attempt at flirting and found it amusing. I followed her to where the collection of engagement rings were, but I couldn't find one that would suit my Bella. "Do you see anything you like sir?" She asked me.

I shook my head. "No," I whispered. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you don't appear to have what I'm looking for for my Bella."

I thanked her for her help and left the store, quickly before I had to endure another one of her pathetic flirting attempts. That had been a worrying experience. I wasn't used to being treated that way, other than .... Tanya.....that is. It made me shiver just to think about her. She was a psycho. Her sister Irina on the other hand, I got along really well with. I still found it absolutely amazing to think that someone like Irina, who was kind and caring, could be related to a complete whacko like Tanya. It confused me no end. Unless one of them was adopted. That would make more sense.

This process continued for three more stores. I decided to try one last store before I gave up and went home. If I couldn't find the perfect ring for Bella then it wouldn't do to carry out what I had planned for tonight.

I walked into the store and began to let my gaze fall onto the many engagment rings they had. It was in that store that I saw it. The perfect ring for my Bella.

It was a heartshaped diamond. Not overly large but it still gave off quite an impact. The main diamond was framed by two more hearts leading off from the band. Each of these hearts was set in diamond, each one holding fourteen tiny diamonds. It was set in platinum and was perfect. It was absolutely perfect for my Bella. **(A/N: Link at bottom of page.)** It was _the_ ring. I just knew it.

"Excuse me." I called over one of the employees of the small store. He walked over with a small smile on his face. "Can I have a look at that ring there please?" I pointed to the ring and he opened up the case, retrieving it and placing it on the counter in front of me. I picked it up and looked at it closely.

"It is the paved-platinum, brilliant cut heart-shaped diamond, with diamond heart band." I looked at him and he smiled at me. "It's an excellent choice sir."

I looked at it for a moment more, before looking back up at him. "How much?"

"Seven." He replied and I nodded.

"Okay." I looked back at the ring and placed it on the counter. "I'll take it."

He smiled at me taking the ring over to the counter. "She must be one hell of a lady."

"She is." I smiled at him and he returned it warmly. "She's perfect."

"I'm guessing that by the choice of ring, she doesn't like anything oestentatious. She likes things that are simpler than most people do, she doesn't like to be the centre of attention or to be fussed over, and she means the world to you." He grinned again. "Am I right?"

I nodded, amazed. "That's my Bella perfectly. How did you-"

"You can tell a lot about a woman, from the engagement ring her partner buys." He explained knowingly. "Assuming that they really know her that is." He wrapped up the box and placed it into a small bag before handing it to me. "Good luck and congratulations."

I walked out of the store feeling happier and more accomplished than I had all day. I had found it. The perfect ring for my Bella. I hoped that she would accept it. I hoped that she didn't think that it was going too far, but then again, she accepted my proposal last night, even though it may not have been the most romantic thing in the world, she had accepted nonetheless. I was going to change what she thought of me tonight. Tonight, it was going to be perfect.

I stopped at a store and bought some candles for tonight. Like I said, everything had to be perfect and what better way was there to set the mood than a little candlelight?

The drive home was monumentally slow. Even though I knew that it was the same distance and therefore would take the same amount of time to get back as it did to get there, it felt like it was taking forever. Maybe it was because I was excited about tonight, I don't know but whatever it was, it could leave me alone.

When I got back to my house it was nearing five-thirty. As I walked through the door, Alice gave a pointed look and I gave her one back that told her not to ask. I was glad that they were all going out as it meant that they would all be too busy getting ready to bother me. It also meant that Bella wouldn't be there at that particular time. Even though I had missed her terribly throughout the day, the same as usual, the thought of what I was planning for tonight kept that at bay somewhat. It would be worth it to spend a little extra time away from her when I knew that I was going to spend the rest of my life with her. Or at least I hoped anyway. I had hidden the jewelry bag, including box and ring in my jacket so none of them could see what I had planned. I heard Alice following me up the stairs but I knew that she was going to get ready and not following me.

"Are you sure you're not going to come tonight?" She moaned at me, causing me to stop in my tracks.

"Yeah, Alice I'm sure." I said before turning around. Turning around I gave her the best "I'm not up for it" smile I had. "I just don't think I'm ready for that yet."

She nodded and smiled at me. "Okay then." She grinned. "Let's just hope that you are ready for the next one. I hope you are anyway."

I wandered into my room and closed the door tightly before I pulled out the bag from my jacket. I took out the box and managed to hide the bag somewhere I knew that even Alice wouldn't go. My underwear drawer. She wouldn't go in there, and for that I was thankful.

I sat down on my bed and opened the tiny box, gazing at the ring sitting, nestled in the velvet, glistening up at me. It was perfect. I wanted this whole night to be perfect. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do anything until they left so I flopped down on my bed and waited for them to go. It was a long wait, one of the longest in my life. I had never thought that they would leave. Just before I knew that they were going to leave, I jumped in the shower, making sure to hide the ring in case anyone came into my room. Not that they would, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

As soon as they left, I got to work. I made sure that the whole house was absolutely spotless, running up and down the stairs as I cleaned, making sure everything was immaculate. I know that Bella spent most of her time here anyway, but I wanted this night to be special, and nothing, not even Emmett and Jasper's unruly clutter, was going to ruin this for us. I laid the candles out throughout the house and lit them all before turning out the lights downstairs. She would probably think that I was asleep when she pulled up, so she wouldn't think anything of the darkness. My room was facing away from the driveway so you couldn't see whether there were any lights on unless you walked all the way around the house to check.

After a while, I heard the roar of Bella's truck and let out a chuckle at the idea of her driving that hideous thing. I didn't trust it. Personally, I hated it, but Bella loved it so I would never say anything to her about it. I ran up to my room to wait for her as I heard the door of the truck slam as she began walking towards the house. I was glad that she had her own key or else this whole thing would have been for naught.

I left my door ever so slightly ajar, as I went and sat down, waiting for her. I couldn't help but grin as I heard her put the key in the door and the door open as she entered the house.

"Edward?" I heard her call out to me. She knew I was here, and yet she was probably wondering where I was.

Well, here goes nothing.

**Awwww isn't he cute? :D**

http://www[dot]bridal[dot]cartier[dot]com/index[dot]php?t=1&nav=ficheprod&ref=N4189400&cc=eu&codeLang=en -** the engagement ring Edward picks out for Bella.**

**Please review xx**


	14. Doing It Properly

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**BPOV**

Today had been a mixture of excitement, depression and boredom. It randomly flicked between the three. One moment I would be sat in class, bored out of my mind, wanting nothing more than for the bell to ring, signalling my escape. Then my thoughts would flick to Edward, and I would have to try to halt the huge smile that threatened to spread across my face. Even the smallest thing would cause me to think of him. Between or during class I would see someone with green eyes and I would compare them to Edward's or the sun, rare as it was, would catch someone's hair and give it the slightest reddish tint and my thoughts would flick back to him. It was especially hard at lunch when I was sat with the Cullens. I had to be extra careful around them because I knew that they would know that something was up if I wasn't.

I hadn't told them of what had happened the previous night. I hadn't told them that Edward had asked me to marry him. As informal as it was, it was a proposal nonetheless. And I had accepted. They had no idea that I was to become their actual sister at some point in the future, even if I had to leave for a while before it happened. I would be coming back. I would make sure of that. I hadn't told them on my own because it wasn't just my news. It was mine _and_ Edward's news and I reasoned that we should tell them together. As it should be.

I had to go home before I went to the Cullens tonight. Apart from Edward, they were all going to a charity meal that was being held for the doctors at the hospital. Raising awareness for some illness that I couldn't remember the name of let alone pronounce.

Dinner with Charlie was difficult. I had informed him where Renee had found her reasoning for me to move to Phoenix and he was appalled at the lengths Jacob had gone to to make sure that Edward and I weren't together. Charlie hadn't stopped apologising to me for letting it slip to Billy. I was forgiving him slowly, as I knew that Charlie would never have told them out of spite. It would have been a pure slip of the tongue on Charlie's part. Jacob on the other hand was another story. Charlie had phoned Billy, expressing his outrage over his sons reactions. It turns out that Billy didn't have any idea of what Jacob had done either. He felt that it was an all time low.

I'd spoken to Billy about what had happened and it turns out that he hadn't told Jacob about Edward. Jacob had been eavesdropping on their conversation after he'd gotten in from seeing his friends. He told me that he would never have told Jacob something so personal about someone without their permission or an extremely good reason. The tone in Billy's voice over the phone told me that he was telling the truth. It was the same as Charlie's. Deeply apologetic and ashamed. I couldn't hold anything against Billy or Charlie knowing this. Jacob on the other hand. I would have to deal with him on my own.

Charlie had been on the phone with Renee all day, trying to convince her that what Jacob had told her about Edward was a lie and that she should let me stay in Forks. He told her that I was happy here and that my moving to Phoenix would not only make me depressed but it would surely destroy Edward. But Renee was having none of it. She wouldn't listen at all. it was like talking to a brick wall. She would much rather listen to Jacob, a jealous teenager, than her ex-husband and daughter. I questioned her reasoning behind it more often than not. When he told me that she wasn't budging on her decision it was like my whole world had fallen apart again.

Edward had told me this morning that the Cullens were leaving at around eight o'clock for the charity event, so I told myself that I would get there a litte earlier. It meant that I got to a) see all of them in their outfits for the event, which would be incredible if Alice had her way. And Alice always got her way when it came to shopping and clothes. And b) I got to spend a few extra minutes with Edward. Something that I would never say no to. He was my fiance after all. I grinned as I thought that word. It was something that I would never get used to.

Fiance!

I flitted around my brain like a happy little butterfly, erasing every other thought that was there. I wasn't compaining. It was the only thing that was stopping me from breaking down and screaming at the moment. And it was the best thing to ever happen to me.

I pulled up to the Cullen household at seven minutes to eight and I was surprised to see that the Mercedes, BMW and Alice's Porsche were all gone. I knew that those would be the cars that they were taking to the event with them, because they were the flashiest and gave the kids a chance to show off, whilst attracting disapproving looks from their parents. Something that never ceased to amuse me. I saw that all the lights were off and I realised that Edward must have flaked out again as he usually did whilst waiting for me. "It makes the time pass quicker" was the excuse he gave me. I knew that it was just because he liked his sleep and would never admit to it. I smiled to myself as I pictured my angel, my love, asleep in his room. I briefly thought about leaving him to it and leaving him asleep, but in the end my need to see him won out and I walked towards the house.

I put my key into the lock and let myself in. I took off my jacket and hung it up before taking my shoes off and placing them on the rack. I could see a faint light coming from behind me so I reasoned that Edward must be up as he wouldn't leave a light on if he was going to sleep.

"Edward?" I called out, walking round into the main hall.

I gasped and stopped dead at what I saw. There were tea lights lining the bottom of the stairs. I turned round the corner and saw that they were running up the stairs, a tiny candle on every other step, creating a path for me to follow upstairs. Being careful not to knock into one of them or fall down the stairs, I followed them. I couldn't help the huge grin that spread across my face. He had done this just for me. I think that I had just fallen in love with him even more, even though I didn't think that was possible. Apparently it was.

As I reached the third floor, I saw that the candles led me to my favourite room in the house. Edward's. The door was slightly ajar and I heard Debussy's Clair de Lune playing softly from inside. I walked up to the door and pushed it open slightly. My jaw dropped at what I saw. There were candles everywhere. On every flat surface there was a candle. It looked like something from a fairytale or a dream. I released a breath that I hadn't even realised that I was holding in as I took in the sight of Edward's bedroom. It looked truly magical. I looked around for Edward but I couldn't see him. My gaze fell on a box that was on his bed. It was about a foot wide and tall. I walked over to it and saw that it had a tag on it.

_My Bella _was all that was written on there and I smiled. I hated it when he bought me presents, but I was so enchanted by the room I couldn't help but smile. I ripped the tag off and opened the present, wondering what on earth it could be. Opening the box I saw that there was another box inside. I pulled that one out and placed the larger box on the floor, being careful not to knock any candles over. Opening this one I saw that, again there was another box inside. Curiousity was getting the better of me now, so I opened that box. Again, another box. It was getting repetitive now, but I was too curious as to what these boxes could hold to stop. Before I knew it I was knee deep in boxes and opening a tiny one. Hoping that I was getting near the end, I opened the last box to find a tiny, velvet box inside. I grinned and pulled it out and opened it, only to find that there was nothing in it. I frowned, a bit disappointed and upset.

"Now, you can have this when you say yes." I heard Edward's velvet voice say softly from behind me, making me jump, slightly.

I turned around to see him standing there, leaning against the wall behind the door, his features made soft and enchanting by the candlelight. I grinned stupidly, looking at him. He looked more god-like now than I had ever seen him. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans a black button down shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves. He didn't care about revealing his scars when he was around me. He knew that I'd accepted them as part of who he was, and that gave him a slight confidence boost when it came to that area of his life. Seeing him standing there like that, made me think of him more as a model than as a seventeen-year-old recovering anorexic.

He walked over to me slowly, something grasped in his hand. I looked into his eyes and saw only love and adoration there. I knew that my eyes were conveying the same thing. I had never loved him more than this moment. He had gone to such lengths for me and I felt my heart swell. Approaching me he dropped down to one knee and took my left hand in one of his own. _Oh my God! He's actually doing it!_ I thought frantically.

"Isabella Marie Swan," He said in a soft voice, his eyes never leaving mine. "I love you so much. You are the light in my darkness. You saved me when I thought that I was beyond help. You are my guiding light, my angel. Bella, will you make me the happiest man alive, and say that you'll become my wife." He opened his free hand and I saw the most beautiful ring sitting in the palm of his hand.

I stood there grinning stupidly, and I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. "Yes," I whispered, trying to hold back the tears. "Yes." I mamaged to say it a little louder the second time and I saw the biggest smile spread across his face. He placed the ring on the ring finger of my left hand. It was a perfect fit. He stood up and I took his face in between my hands and kissed him deeply, throwing my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss with every passing second. I flicked my tongue along his bottom lip, asking for entrance and he complied isntantly. I plunged my tongue into his mouth, earning myself a moan from him.

That only seemed to cause my own body to react. I wanted him. I needed him. All of him. Right here, right now. We had both wanted it to be perfect, and this didn't get anymore perfect. I began to walk backwards slowly, pulling him along with me, never breaking the kiss. I kept going until I felt the backs of my knees come into contact with the bed and I dropped down onto it, pulling him with me. I half expected him to pull back or roll off of me, thinking that it was too soon, but to my surprise he didn't.

I pulled him up onto the bed, so that my head was now lying on his pillows, pulling him so that I had one leg either side of his body. I removed my hands from his neck and moved them down, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. I felt him stiffen slightly, so I broke the kiss and asked permission with my eyes. He nodded slightly and kissed me again. I undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt and rolled it down his arms, discarding it on the floor.

He was beautiful. Even if he didn't see it himself, he was. Scars and everything. He was glorious to look at and I couldn't help but run kisses up and down his bare chest, earning myself a low moan from him.

He gently slid his hands around my waist and underneath the hem of my shirt, pulling it up slowly. I raised my arms up and he brought my shirt over my head and threw it to join his on the floor. He began pressing soft, open-mouthed kisses up and down my neck as one of his hands ran through my hair and the other made its way up my back, unclasping my bra. I gasped slightly as I felt my bra loosen on my shoulders. He reached up and slid it off of my shoulders slowly and gently. I heard him breathe in sharply and moved my arms to cover myself up. He took hold of my arms and pressed an intense kiss to my throat.

"Don't," He murmured, causing a slightly vibration to run through my body. "Don't cover yourself up. You're beautiful." He pressed kisses up and down my throat, before capturing my lips with his once more. "You're beautiful."

I could feel him through his jeans and from what I could tell he was pretty well endowed. I could feel the friction that it caused against my hot core and I knew that this was what I wanted. What I _needed_. I felt his need as he ran kisses down my throat and across my collarbone, licking, nipping and sucking at my skin as he went. The next thing I knew, he had captured one of my breasts with his lips, causing my back to arch as a moan of pleasure escaped my lips. I could feel his tongue teasing my nipple and it went beyond anything I had ever felt before.

"Edward!" I moaned, my back arching towards him as he continued to nip and suck my breast. "Edward....I ..... I need you!" I managed to gasp between pants. "Now!"

I moved my hands from his hair, slid them down his chest and slowly undid his belt before moving onto the button of his jeans. He looked up at me and I smiled at him. He grinned back and crushed his lips to mine as I unclasped the button on his jeans and slid them down, taking his boxers with them. As he kicked them off, Edward did the same with my jeans, slowly undoing the button and sliding them down my legs, taking my panties with him and throwing them in a heap with the rest of our clothes. Looking at him as he hovered above me, he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I also saw that he was more than _pretty well endowed_ Even though I had no previous experience in this area I knew that Edward was large. I knew it was going to hurt, getting used to his size but I also didn't care. All I knew was I loved him and I wanted all of him.

He looked at me, his expression asking permission and I told him through my eyes to do it.

"I love you," He murmured, pressing his lips to mine. I felt him enter me slightly, almost tentatively, and I raised my hips to encourage him, pressing my lips to his again in yet another passionate kiss. I felt him easing into me as he broke the kiss. I knew what was coming, and I had been preparing for it. I nodded slightly, and the next thing I knew there was a searing pain between my legs as he broke through my barrier. I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I became accustomed to his presence inside of me. "I'm sorry." He whispered, pressing kisses into my neck and lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." I whispered back and I kissed him back, more intensely than the kisses he had been placing on my skin, showing him that it was okay to carry on.

I felt him moving out of me and then back in, and at the same time I felt the pain that I had experienced a moment ago giving way to a type of pleasure unlike anything else that I had never known before. It felt like there was an intense hot coil winding in the pit of my stomach, increasing in pressure and instensity each time Edward thrust in and out of me. I knew that I wasn't going to last much longer as I pressed deep, long and intense kisses onto his shoulder and neck, gaining moans and groans from him and myself as I went.

I felt the pressure in between my legs and in the pit of my stomach increasing as Edward's speed increased and I couldn't help but cry out in pleasure. I was so glad that there was no one else in the house, or else they would know exactly what was happening in here. Something that neither of us would never live down. I heard low, gutteral moans coming out of Edward and I knew that he was in the same state as me. Unable to last for much longer, ready to burst.

With three more thrusts I felt the pressure release and my back arched involuntarily and I cried out Edward's name as my body seared with ecstasy. Moments later Edward did the same thing as he reached his climax and we both rode out our orgasms together. It was pure ecstasy. We were both panting uncontrollably as he collapsed on top of me, still supporting most of his weight with his arms.

He kissed me gently on the shoulder and up my neck before pressing his lips to mine gently.

"I love you," I moaned against his lips, wrapping my arms around his neck as he rolled off of me and settled on his side.

"As I love you." He whispered, wrapping one arm around my waist using the other arm to cover us up with his comforter.

I pressed my head into his chest, not being able to stop the huge grin that was spreading across my face. I had decided that this night, right here right now, was the best night of my life. Nothing could top this night. I had just gotten engaged and lost my virginity to the most wonderful man I had ever met. The one that I was going to spend the rest of my life with.

With these thoughts running through my mind, I drifted off into a peaceful, deep sleep, letting the heartbeat of the man I loved lull me into a welcome world of black.

**This is my first attempt at a lemon so if it's a bit shit I apologise.  
Also, the proposal I used is how my brother how proposed to his fiancee and it was so romantic that I used it.  
I hope you enjoy and please review :D  
xx**


	15. Secret's Out EPOV

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

I woke up to find my arms wrapped around something warm and soft and yet hard at the same time. I opened my eyes marginally and saw my Bella sleeping soundly next to me.

I couldn't help but grin when I saw the ring glittering on her finger, nor as the memories of the previous night dashed through my memory. I sighed and brushed a few stray hairs out of her eyes, drinking in as much as her beauty as I could. She looked so peaceful and innocent.

She smiled a small smile at me and opened her eyes slightly. She saw me watching her and she grinned at me. "Hey there," She shuffled over to me and kissed me on the nose. I mock scowled at her and she giggled. "Last night...." She sighed, smiling serenly at me. "That was....hmmmmm...."

"Great analogy." I chuckled and it was her turn to mock scowl and my turn to laugh. I sighed and watched her as she scanned my face, gently brushing a few strands of hair out of my eyes. "You...." I pulled her even closer to me. "Have made me the happiest person in the world." I kissed her nose and forehead before, I pressed my lips to hers.

She shook her head at me. "The second happiest." She grinned. "I'm the happiest."

I chuckled. "Okay, that's just corny."

She grinned, nodding her head. "I know."

I scanned the room quickly. "You know what I just realised?" She shook her head, her brow confusing. "We forgot about the candles." Her eyes grew wide as she propped herself up on her elbow and looked around.

"Doesn't look like anything caught fire." She looked back at me and smiled sheepishly, before leaning down and pressing her lips to mine. "Well, I guess I had you a bit distracted last night." As she said this, the blush that I loved so much appeared on her cheeks.

"That you did." I pulled her close to me and she rested her head on my shoulder, sighing. "Love?" She mumbled a response that I didn't quite hear properly. "I don't want to ruin the moment or anything but we didn't....use....anything last night."

She took her head off of my chest, and looked at me. "Don't worry." She kissed the end of my nose. "I'm on the pill."

"That's good." I sighed. I wasn't ready to be a father...yet.

"I know." She leaned her head back onto my chest. "I'm not ready to be a mother....yet." I swear that I'd just thought the exact same thing.

We lay there for a few moments, both of us drifting in and out of sleep when Bella's alarm clock rang throughtout the room. Silently cursing she rolled over and turned it off, before wrapping a sheet around herself and waddling into the bathroom. I couldn't help but laugh at her as she turned around and stuck her tongue out at me before closing the bathroom door.

I quickly got up and pulled on my pyjama pants and a t-shirt, and not knowing how long Bella was going to be I went downstairs to make myself some breakfast.

Walking into the kitchen I saw that Emmett and Alice were already up. Which was odd. Alice being up, okay, that could be seen as being pretty much normal, but Emmett being up? There was something wrong with this picture. Alice was sat at the breakfast bar, while Emmett was having a disagreement with some eggs and bacon in a frying pan. I grinned at the thought of bacon getting the better of Emmett. It was bound to happen some day.

I looked at Alice and saw her giving me a knowing smile. I narrowed my eyes at her as I walked past, heading for the cereal cupboard. _Fuck_, I thought. She knew something, I just didn't know what it was. I'd gotten myself a bowl out and poured cereal into it before Emmett noticed I was there.

"Hey, Eddie!" He cried, too loudly for seven thirty in the morning. "Want some?" He asked, gesturing towards the frying food in the pan. I grimaced and shook my head. I may be getting a handle on foods that I can and can't eat, but I can tell you, food covered in a layer of grease, oil and butter I will never be able to touch. It made my stomach turn. I could never eat from a fast food joint. Never. Places like that made me want to hurl.

"Nah," I called as I poured myself a glass of orange juice and walked over to the breakfast bar to sit across from Alice. "I'm fine with cereal thanks."

I guess that he'd gathered from my tone not to push it, as he just shrugged and turned around to face the food in front of him. "Oh, well. Your loss."

I chuckled as I took a sip from my glass. "You'd think, wouldn't you?"

Emmett turned around as if to argue the point. I think that he was going to say that obviously a cooked breakfast was better than cereal, but Alice held a hand up to stop him. "Actually, Emmett. Edward's right. What he's got _is_ a lot healthier for you than what _you've_ got. I mean, what he's got, its got carbs, essential vitamins, calcium, and a lot of vitamin C. And then, what you've got has fat, grease, and yes it has some minerals and vitamins from the eggs and what's left of the meat, but in the end, Edward's breakfast is a healthier way to start the day." Emmett looked like he was going to argue with her again, but again she held a hand up to stop him. "Emmett! When it comes to food are you really going to argue with Edward?" I chuckled as I took another gulp of my juice.

I saw Emmett take in a long breath, calculating his chances of winning an argument about food with me, especially when I knew the caloric content as well as the fat, carbs and protein percentages of practically every item of food in the kitchen. I raised my eyebrows at him and he glared at me. "Well, no, not really." He admitted and I grinned. I looked at Alice who was smiling that knowing grin at me again. _What the hell does that smile mean?_ I thought to myself as I pretended that I hadn't noticed. She went back to reading the magazine that she was reading, apparently disappointed that I hadn't asked her anything. I was still a damned good liar as it turned out.

Emmett finished cooking, or should I say destroying, his food and took it upstairs with him.

"Mom and Dad are going to kill you if they find out you've been eating in your bedroom." Alice said in a sing-song voice. I knew that they would. The rule of no food to be eaten anywhere other than the kitchen or the dining room had been put in place when I came home. Something that made sure that I didn't start to revert back to my old ways, but it didn't single me out amongst the others. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about that. I didn't like the fact that I wasn't trusted within my own family, but then again, it made me feel better knowing that they cared enough to put something like that in place. He turned around and stuck his tongue out at her before bounding up the stairs. She turned to look at me, that smile back in place again.

"What?" I asked, placing a spoonful of cereal in my mouth.

"Have fun last night?" She asked, grinning. I really had to stop myself from choking on my cereal as I swallowed.

"What do you mean?" I asked calmly, meeting her gaze.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Edward Anthony Masen Cullen." Why does everyone have to use my full name when they want to emphasise a point? I hated when they did that. I stared at her blankly. "You," She pointed at me. "And Bella." She pointed to the top of the stairs with her other hand before placing the tips of her two index fingers together. "Mwah." She made a kissing sound before grinning again. Trust Alice to be the one that found out.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. "Who else knows?" I asked her, not meeting her gaze this time.

"No one else." She smiled smugly at her discovery.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else please." I looked at her pleadingly, dreading the reactions of the others and she nodded. She pretended to zip up her lips, lock them up and throw away the key. I didn't really trust this gesture, but I knew something that she would have to uphold, just because she's Alice. "Pinky swear." I held out my pinky and she scowled at me before linking hers with mine. She would never be able to break a pinky swear. She still kept a promise from when we were eight with a pinky promise. I couldn't remember what it was, but she could and I knew that she hadn't told Alice. You want to keep something a secret with Alice, you make her pinky swear.

"People are going to find out sooner or later." She told me, and I nodded, standing up and walking over to the dishwasher.

"I know," I said placing my dirty cutlery and crockery into the dishwasher. "But with this family. I'd prefer it to be later."

She, like Emmett looked like she was going to argue back, but she then thought better of it and nodded her head agreeing with me. "See you later, lil bro."

"Lil bro?" I asked leaning back into the kitchen. "Okay, Alice, I'm older and bigger than you, so there is no way that that name works coming from you." I told her and she scowled. It was true. Even though she was in the same year as Jasper, and Rose, and the same year I would be in when I started up again, Alice was I think either the youngest or one of the youngest in the year. She should have been the grade below, so she should have been finishing up her sophomore year by now, but being a premature baby caused her to be in the same class at school as Rose and Jasper. I didn't even want to think of Carlisle and Esme creating Alice just after the twins had been born. Some things you are not meant to know about.

I walked upstairs and going into my bedroom I saw that Bella was up and dressed, and packing up her stuff. I leant against the door frame and grinned at her as she moved. She was mine. She would be mine forever.

I saw the rare sunlight glinting off of the ring on her finger and I felt the grin on my face widening. This girl was my fiance. I would have to get my head around that term. She saw me standing there watching her and she grinned at me, the colour rising in her cheeks again.

"Hello, love." She cooed as she walked over to me wrapping her arms around my waist and placing a soft kiss on my lower jaw.

I pressed my lips to hers in a long, soft passionate kiss and grinned at her. I heard someone walking up the stairs and felt my face fall as I remembered the annoying little pixie downstairs. "Alice knows." I whispered and Bella's face contorted in confusion.

"Knows what?" She asked, her eyes never leaving mine.

"What happened last night." I smiled sheepishly at her. She looked at the ring on her finger and I shook my head. "No, not about that. I don't think." I saw her mouth drop in astonishment.

"How?" She breathed, wondering whether or not to be worried. "How did she find out?"

"She's Alice." I gave as an explanation. This didn't seem to placate her though and she narrowed her eyes at me. "I don't know, okay? I don't know. But I went down to breakfast and she just...knew."

"Has she told anyone else?" Her voice and expression were a little less worried now. It seemed that as well as me, she knew what would happen if the rest of the family found out. I didn't really want to think about what we'd get from the others. But I can say that I know it would last for quite some time. I shook my head and she breathed out a breath she looked as though she didn't realise she had been holding.

"And...I made her pinky swear so she won't tell anyone else." I smiled at her and she grinned.

"That's good." She leaned her head on my chest. "You know, I want to find whoever invented the pinky swear and thank them personally." I chuckled my agreement and she sighed. "We'd best get downstairs." I nodded and followed her out. I didn't bother to get dressed or anything, knowing that I probably wouldn't be going anywhere today, and if I did it wouldn't be until much later.

I raised my eyebrows and gave Alice a pointed look as she smiled as we walked back into the kitchen. Everyone was up now and were all bustling about it in the kitchen. I looked at Alice again and she wiggled her little finger at me inconspicuously. I smiled at her and she grinned at Bella who smiled sheepishly back. We sat down at the breakfast bar and saw that Carlisle was indeed remprimanding Emmett for eating in his bedroom, just as Alice said he would.

Jasper smiled at Bella and placed some toast in front of her before offering me some. I shook my head and he stuck his tongue out at me, childishly. I did the same and I heard Bella and Alice laughing at us. That is before I heard an enormous squeal that I think they heard all the way across the country. People in New York would have their ears ringing at the pitch.

"Oh. My. God." I turned to look at her and she was staring at Bella's left hand. "Is that what I think it is?" She asked, looking between Bella and myself, trying to scowl at not being told but failing miserably, her face turning into a huge grin as we looked at each other and nodded. Yet another squeal erupted from my little sister and everyone stared at her, wondering what the hell was happening I expect.

"What? What? What?" Emmett cried, covering his ears. Rosalie moved next to Alice and the two of them squealed in unison. "Ah, there's two of them. What the hell's going on?"

"This," Alice said, moving, grabbing Bella's hand and pointing at the ring on her finger. "Is what's going on."

"Holy cr-"

"Emmett!" Carlisle cut him off, a grin forming on his face. "Is this what I think it is, son?" He asked me and I nodded. He grinned even wider and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Congratulations, son."

"Oh, my baby!" Esme rushed over and placed a kiss on my cheek before doing the same to Bella. "I told you boys. They _are_ perfect together."

I looked at Bella and saw that she had gone the brightest shade of red that I had ever seen. I reached across and took her hand, giving her a look that said, "it could be worse". She rolled her eyes and nodded.

Carlisle looked at his watch. "You kids had better get off to school." I saw Bella's eyes go wide at the thought of having to spend the carride with Alice and Rose firing questions at her, with Jasper and Emmett making jokes at my expense as they would no doubt do.

I leaned over and kissed her gently. "Good luck." I whispered in her ear grinning and she shot me a glare as Alice and Rose dragged her out to the car, the boys following along.

"Now," Carlisle said, placing his hands on the breakfast bar in front of me. "Before I go to work: are you sure about this? I mean, you're both young and you're still in recovery-"

"Yes, Carlilse." I told him, holding his gaze, nodding my head slightly. "I am one hundred per cent sure about this. I love Bella more than anything. I want to make her mine. Forever." He smiled as I finished talking and patted me on the shoulder from across the table.

"Well, then, I know that there's nothing I can do to change your mind." He said and I shook my head. He grinned at me and walked out of the door with Esme following behind him, smiling lovingly at me. He was obviously giving her a ride to her office today as she normally left after he did.

I was on my own in the house. Bella was probably getting questions flung at her from all angles, and I just hoped that Alice kept her pinky swear or else she would be in trouble. I wandered through to the entrance hall and saw that the candles I had used last night were still on the stairs. I began clearing them up, thanking whatever lord was up there that I hadn't set the house on fire last night. That wouldn't have gone down well, I could tell.

After I'd cleared everything up, putting the candles in the bin and flattening the boxes down so that they could be recycled I hopped in the shower, letting the hot water wash over me, relaxing all of my muscles.

When I'd gotten out of the shower, gotten dressed and sorted I looked at the time and I saw to my dismay that it was only 11:30AM. I hadn't taken as long as I'd wanted doing everything I needed to.

I looked around for something to do, when I noticed that it was still sunny outside. I smiled, deciding to go to the beach that Bella had talked about. I know it would have been perfect to go down with her for the first time, but I wanted to go and get some fresh air. I wanted to see the ocean. I hadn't really seen the ocean before, living in Chicago. Esme and Carlilse had family that lived in Florida, and we'd gone to see them, but it was such a long time ago that I couldn't remember it all too clearly. I grabbed my keys to my Volvo and my jacket, knowing that it could be quite cold later on and left the house. I didn't bother to leave a note as I would probably be back before everyone else was anyway.

The drive down to First Beach wasn't as long as I thought it was going to be. After about fifteen, twenty minutes or so I was parked and looking out at the beautiful ocean. It was different to the ocean that I had experienced in Florida. Or at least what I remembered of the experience. Whereas the waters in Florida where a bright blue, this had more of a green tint to them. _Beautiful_, I thought. No wonder Bella loves to come here.

I wandered down the beach for a while, taking in what little sun there was, which to be fair was a lot for the area, and drinking in the sea air and smell. This place would be perfect to bring Bella. It didn't matter that she had been here loads of times before, I would and hopefully could make it a special place for her.

I didn't even realise that I wasn't alone on the beach until someone called out to me.

"Hey," Someone shouted. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I turned around and saw the last person I wanted to see. Only this time he was flunked by some cronies that didn't look too friendly.

Jacob Black.

**Uh-oh.  
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	16. Secret's Out BPOV

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**BPOV**

I couldn't help but smile when I woke up. Remembering last night, I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face. I was set to become Mrs. Edward Cullen and I was no longer a virgin. I had always imagined it to be perfect and perfect it was. Even if it hadn't been as romantic and beautiful as it was, just giving up my virginity to none other than Edward made it perfect.

Opening my eyes I saw him watching me, smiling at me. "Hey there," I whispered to him as he smiled at me, looking as content as I felt. I shifted my weight closer to him and gave him a small kiss on the nose. When I pulled back I saw his face pulled together in a mock scowl and I couldn't help but giggle. He looked so cute. "Last night...." I sighed, not knowing how to put how I felt into words. "That was....hmmmmm...." I closed my eyes slowly and smiled again.

"Great analogy." He said, chuckling at me. I opened my eyes and scowled at him playfully. His chuckle turned into a laugh before he sighed, watching me. I gently brushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes, watching him as intently as he was watching me. He looked so peaceful at this moment in time. I didn't want it to ever end.

"You," He breathed, pulling me closer to him. I was now acutely aware that we were both still naked underneath the comforter, and I didn't care one bit. I loved the feeling of his skin against mine. No barriers between us at all. "Have made me the happiest person in the world." He leaned his head forward and kissed me on the nose, before he pressed his lips to mine, something I had wanted him to do since I woke up.

Breaking the kiss I shook my head at him. "The second happiest," I replied grinning at him as his brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm the happiest."

He rolled his eyes and chuckled at me. "Okay, that's just corny."

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. "I know."

I saw him glance around the room, a slightly worried look in his eyes. "You know what I just realised?" I shook my head, failing to see what the problem was. "We forgot about the candles."

I felt my eyes grow wide and I sat up, propping myself up on my elbow and looked around. "Doesn't look like anything caught fire." I looked back at him, a small smile creeping across my lips as I pressed them to his, feeling him kiss me back gently. "Well," I said, feeling a slight blush creeping up my cheeks. "I guess I had you a bit distracted last night."

"That you did." He replied grinning as I felt his arm snake around my waist again, pullng me towards him. I rested my head on his shoulder, revelling in his scent, not wanting to ever pull away or for anything to happen to ruin the moment. "Love?" I mumbled something incoherent. I didn't even understand what I replied, so I couldn't expect him to. "I don't want to ruin the moment or anything but we didn't....use....anything last night."

I looked up at him and smiled. I could understand why he was worried. He wasn't ready for a child and neither was I. "Don't worry." I assured him, moving up and kissing the end of his nose. "I'm on the pill." I felt him visibly relax.

"That's good." He sighed, reinforcing my thought about the fact that he wasn't ready to become a father.

"I know." I lay my head back down on his shoulder, reassuring him further. "I'm not ready to be a mother....yet." I wondered if he heard the added word on the end. I wanted to become a mother. To his children. But I wasn't ready at this point in time. Maybe later on in life, when we were both mature enough and he had fully come through his recovery. Who knows what kind of effect a baby would have on his mental state if one were to become a reality.

I was broken out of my thoughts by the hated sound of my alarm clock. I cursed under my breath and rolled over to turn it off. I knew that I had to get up and get ready for school, but I didn't want to. I didn't want to leave Edward's arms, but I knew that I had no other choice. Edward, even though I knew that he didn't want me to leave either would guilt trip me into going. I rolled over, taking one of the sheets with me, making sure not to disturb the comforter that was on top of us, wrapped it around myself and walked, or should I say, waddled to the bathroom, grabbing my stuff as I went. I heard Edward chuckling behind me and I turned around, my eyes taking in his God-like form that was mostly hidden by the comforter, my gaze lingering on his chest and did the first thing that came to mind. I stuck my tongue out of him before I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.

I dropped the sheet and turned on the shower, waiting for it to warm up slightly before stepping underneath the water. I let the hot water wash over me and ease out all of my muscles. I felt the muscles in my shoulders and back flex as I rotated my shoulders in small circles. I picked up the bottle of strawberry shampoo that I had in Edward's shower letting my second favourite scent trickle up my nose. My favourite scent of course was Edward. If I could bottle his scent up, I would wear it everyday, letting his smell wash over me like a perfume. I lathered my hair in the shampoo before leaning my head back and rinsing it out of my hair. I did the same with my strawberry conditioner before turning off the shower and stepping out of the shower. I picked up one of the towels on the rack just by the shower and wrapped it around myself.

I slowly towelled myself down, making sure that I was completely dry before getting dressed. I looked at my outfit, knowing that Alice would approve. They were clothes that she had picked out for me after all. I was wearing a tight v-neck sweater, in a colour that Edward liked to call Bella-Blue. It was his favourite colour on me so I knew he would like it. I had paired this with a pair of black skinny jeans. Checking my outfit once more I started towelling my hair dry as I walked out of the bathroom, dumping the wet towel in the hamper as I went. I brushed my hair through as I blasted it with the hair-dryer, knowing that I would get it from Alice if I let it dry naturally. She hated it when I did that. I wasn't in the mood for Alice's pixie-wrath this morning. It had been perfect so far and I didn't want to ruin that.

As I was packing up my things I smiled as I saw the sunlight that was so rare in Forks, glinting off of the ring that rested on my finger. The ring that symbolised the love that Edward and I felt for each other.

Looking up I saw Edward, leaning on the doorframe, watching me intently, a small smile playing on his lips. I walked over to him and smiled. "Hello love," I breathed as I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed him on his lower jaw, knowing how much he loved it when I kissed him in that particular place. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine in a lingering kiss.

"Alice knows." He whispered as we broke apart.

"Knows what?" I asked him, feeling my brow furrow in confusion. I gazed into his eyes placing my hands on his chest as I did so.

"What happened last night." A small smile played on his lips. My gaze involuntarily slipped to the ring on my left hand and I saw him shake his head. "No. Not about that. I don't think." _Then what could she know about?_ I felt my jaw drop as I realised that she knew that Edward and I had made love the night before.

"How?" I whispered, not really trusting my voice. "How did she find out?"

"She's Alice." I didn't trust that as a reasonable explanation. I narrowed my eyes at him, telling him that I wanted more of an explanation out of him. "I don't know, okay? I don't know. But I went down to breakfast and she just....knew." _Damed pixie!_

"Has she told anyone else?" Did he realise what would happen if the rest of the family found out. I was worried about their reactions. Carlisle and Esme would probably worry about the fact that Edward was still in recovery and what it would do to him if he were to get involved physically. Even if it was from me. I think Jasper would be okay with it. He would leave us be, just as Alice and Rosalie would, after they got the answers that they wanted from me that is. And Emmett....I didn't want to think about what Emmett would say and do if he found out. He was constantly making fun of the fact that Edward and I hadn't taken our relationship to the next level yet, so having him know that we had....he would take it for all it was worth. I released a breath that I hadn't realised that I had been holding.

He shook his head. "And....I made her pinky swear so she won't tell anyone else." He grinned at me and I couldn't help but grin back. I hated how he had that effect on me. It made me feel like agreeing to anything.

"That's good." I rested my head on his chest. There was no way that Alice would break a pinky swear. For her, next to bashing shopping it was the highest form of blasphemy. I knew that our secret was safe with her having pinky swore. "You know," I mumbled. "I want to find whoever invented the pinky swear and thank them personally." I felt the vibrations of a chuckle run through his chest and I smiled, sighing. "We'd best go downstairs." I knew what Alice would be thinking if we spent too long up here, and besides, my stomach was getting ready to rumble and I wanted to save myself that embarrassment. I took his hand in mine and led him down the stairs.

I saw Alice grin as we walked into the kitchen. I looked at Edward and saw him glaring at Edward, obviously warning her. I smiled as I saw his protective side coming through. I looked back at Alice and saw her wiggling her little finger at him, showing that she remembered her pinky swear. As we sat down at the breakfast bar I looked across the kitchen and saw and heard Carlisle reprimanding Emmett for taking food up to his bedroom, something that Esme and Carlisle had banned throughout the house since Edward had come home. Something I knew that Edward was not best pleased with this but I think he was put at ease by the fact that it was made into an overall rule throughout the house and not aimed particularly at him. I knew he hated being singled out.

Jasper smiled at me as he placed some toast in front of me, before he looked at Edward and offered him some. Just as Edward refused I saw Jasper sticking his tongue out at him and I giggled as Edward retaliated with the same action. I heard Alice joining in before I heard the biggest squeal I had ever heard. It was so loud I thought that my eardrums had burst.

"Oh. My. God." I looked at her and I saw her staring intently at my left hand. I felt all the blood drain from my face as I realised that we hadn't formed a plan of how to tell our families about our engagement. I guessed now that we didn't have to worry about telling _his_ family any more. "Is this what I think it is?" She asked me, her gaze flicking between Edward and myself. I could see that she was trying to make an annoyed face at not being told but she couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. I found myself wondering if she was happy about the fact that Edward and I were engaged or the fact that she might have the chance to plan our wedding. I looked at Edward just as he looked at me. We looked back at Alice and nodded, encouraging yet another enormous scowl from Edward's hyperactive sister. I saw everyone looking at her in estonishment, wonder in their expressions. _Oh, great, how are we going to explain to them?_ As it turned out we didn't really have to as they rushed over to us all.

"What? What? What?" Emmett cried as he covered his ears, protecting them from Alice's squeals and walking over to us. Rosalie moved over next to Alice, looking at what she was staring at and began squealing at the same time and pitch as Alice. "Ah, there's two of them!" Emmett cried, covering his ears again. "What the hell's going on?"

"This," Alice cried, grabbing my hand and showing the rest of the family the ring on my finger. "Is what's going on!"

"Holy cr-"

"Emmett!" Carlisle cut him off, stopping him from swearing as he smiled and walked over to the two of us. "Is this what I think it is, son?" He asked, his gaze flicking from the ring on my finger to Edward's face. I looked at him as he nodded and then back to Carlisle as his smile widened, lighting up his whole face. I watched Carlisle walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. I felt Edward stiffen slightly at the contact, before he grew comfortable with the contact and relaxed. "Congratulations, son." He said, smiling at me.

"Oh, my baby!" Esme rushed over to the two of us, kissing Edward on the cheek before kissing mine as well. She took my hand in her own and gushed over the ring. She looked around at her sons and husband. "I told you boys. They _are_ perfect together."

I felt the heat rising to my cheeks and I knew that I had turned the brightest colour of red, probably rivalling that of a tomato. Edward took my free hand in his own, my left was still being held captive my Esme and the girls, and gave me a look that told me "it could be worse". I rolled my eyes, nodding, giving him a look that told him that it was only going to get worse. For me at least. At least he could escape his brothers and sisters for a few hours. I, on the other hand, had to endure school with them.

"You kids had better get off to school." I felt my eyes go wide. I really wasn't ready to endure a car ride with Alice and Rose. I knew that they wouldn't relent on the way there. At lunch I would at least get a little peace as they knew that voices carried, but in the car I was fair game. I wouldn't be able to count on Jasper and Emmett either. Jasper would be too much of a coward to stand up to the girls and Emmett would be laughing and making jokes about how Edward had been finally able to man up and when was he going to take the next step?

Edward leaned over and pressed his lips gently to mine. "Good luck." He whispered, before I felt Rose and Alice's hands around my upper arms and I shot Edward a glare as he grinned at me as they dragged me out of the house and into Emmett's Jeep.

I was sandwiched in between Alice and Rose and they were both staring at me intently, grinning from ear to ear. I looked at the boys for help and saw that they too were grinning, eyebrows raised and expressions that told me that I was on my own.

"Oh my God I can't stand it anymore." Alice squealed as we pulled out of the driveway. "Tell us!"

"Tell you what?" I asked them, trying to keep my voice as calm and steady as possible.

"Tell us what?!" Alice and Rosalie squealed at the same time.

"What happened?" Rosalie fired at me. "When did this happen? Was it romantic? Did he go down on one knee? Did _anything else_ happen?"

"Ummmm....." I pondered through each of these questions. "He proposed. Last night. Yes it was. Yes he did. And I am not telling you anything." I answered each of the questions in the order that she had asked them. Alice squealed and covered her mouth over her mouth.

"Aw, keeping secrets are we Bells?" Emmett asked, winking at me in the rearview.

"Nothing is slipping through these lips." I answered, setting my jaw and glaring at him.

"Well I guess that we're going to have to torture it out of lil ol' Eddie then, aren't we Jazz?" He asked, looking at Jasper.

"Yup." Jasper nodded, turning to grin at me as I shot him and his brother a death glare. "And we will Bells. No matter what you say." He winked at me, before turning back to face the front again.

"So, come on. What did he do?" Rosalie asked.

"Well," I said, blushing as I looked at the ring, glittering on my finger. "When I got to your house last night, I noticed that you guys weren't there and the lights were off. I didn't think anything of it, I thought that Edward might be asleep, you know." I shrugged nonchalantly. "When I walked through the door, and walked through the hallway I saw that there was a trail of candles running up the stairs and so, naturally I followed them." They nodded, their grins getting even wider as I spoke, their eyes glazing over as they imagined what I had seen last night. "They led me up to Edward's room and when I opened the door there were candles everywhere, and I mean _everyhere_" I emphasised the last word, making sure that they understood how many candles there were in his room.

"Was he in there?" Rosalie asked, her eyes glistening in excitement.

"Not that I could see." I said, blushing even more, if that were even possible at this point in time. "But I did see a huge box on the end of his bed." I looked at the two of them, seeing them both nodding, encouraging me to continue. "Well, naturally, curiousity took over and I opened the box. Only to find another one. For a while it was just box after box, and yet I couldn't stop opening them. I wanted to find out what was in there so I just kept going up until I got to the last box. Inside which, was a small velvet box. I opened it, only to find that it was empty." They both gasped, their hands flying to their mouths. I saw them both looking at the ring, questioning where it came from. I held up my hands, halting the questions that would no doubt come if I didn't stop them. "He was behind me. He had been watching me the whole time and when I opened the ring box, he walked forward and said, "Now, you can have this when you say yes." He walked over to me and knelt down on one knee and asked me. It was so perfect." I pressed the ring to my chest and sighed. I felt like a teenage girl with a crush. Well, I was a teenage girl. Only it wasn't just a crush. I was a girl in love.

Just then, thankfully, we got to school and I was able to escape. Until lunch that is. I climbed out of the Jeep and walked away from the group, calling to them that I would see them at lunch. They called their goodbyes to me and as I turned around I could see that Alice and Rose were just itching to follow me all the way to my homeroom asking me as many questions as they could before the bell went. I also saw that they were effectively being held off by Emmett and Jasper. I grinned as I turned around and went ploughing into someone.

"Sorry," I said as my books dropped to the floor. I bent down to pick them up as the other person did as well.

"It's okay." I heard and overly eager voice say. I looked up and saw Mike there, kneeling in front of me, grinning.

I stood up as he handed me the remainder of my books. "Thanks." I held out my hand for them and I saw his eyes darken as he gazed at my hand. I hadn't noticed that I was holding out my left hand. He had seen the ring on my finger, and he wasn't happy about it. He was still holding my books. "Mike. Can I have my books?"

"What?" He shook his head and looked at me.

"I said, can I have my books?" I shook my hand, emphasising that point.

"Uh, yeah." He handed me my books and glared at my hand again. "What is that?"

"What Mike?" I sighed, exasperated.

"That?!" He grabbed my hand, glaring at the ring that rested on my finger.

"This," I pulled my hand from his clammy, rough hands and held it in front of him. "Is an engagement ring. Edward and I are _engaged,_ Mike, okay? So leave me alone." I made to storm off but he grabbed my arm, stopping me from leaving.

"You know that this is a mistake, right?" He hissed in my ear.

"No," I growled back. "It is not a mistake. I love Edward and I am going to spend the rest of my life with him. And there is _nothing_ you or anyone else can do about it! Now if you would kindly let me go!" I yanked my arm out of his grasp and stormed off to my homeroom.

My classes that morning were boring and dull. I couldn't help but notice the less than subtle glances at the ring on my finger and I guessed that news of Mike's revelation must have travelled fast. What was I thinking? Of course it travelled fast. This was Forks. The town where you sneeze and everyone knows about it. I was just eternally thankful that no one knew about Edward and the reasons behind his nine month long disappearance.

I was walking to the cafeteria, in some way looking forward to seeing the people that I already considered my family, and yet dreading the onslaught that was waiting for me at that table. I had to stop by my locker and drop some of my books off before I went there and in doing so, bumped into one of the people that I really really _really_ didn't want to see.

Jessica.

"So," She said, grinning. "What's this I hear about you?"

"I don't know, Jess." I played the ignorance card. "What is it you hear?"

"That you and a certain Edward Cullen are engaged?" She was never one to scoot around the obvious. Subtle was obviously not in her vocabulary. "Well?" She was practically bouncing up and down. She looked like Alice in a way, but Alice was a lot cuter when she did it.

"Well, what?" I shrugged.

"Are you?" She squealed. I saw Lauren Mallory standing behind her, glaring at me for some reason.

"Yes," I sighed. "All right? Yes, Jessica, Edward and I are engaged." She stood there and squealed, bouncing up and down on the spot. "Now, if you'll excuse me...." I closed my locker and started to move away.

"Oh no!" She linked her arm with mine, pulling me through the cafeteria doors and towards the table she normally sat at. "_You_ are sitting with us so that you can tell us everything. And I mean _everything_!"

"Actually, Jess," I managed to wriggle my arm out of her grasp and started to make my way towards the lunchline. "I'm going to sit with the Cullens. Where I normally do."

"Fine," She gave in, jumping into the line behind me. "But I'm sitting with you." I frowned and bit my lip at her decision. The Cullens were not big on letting people sit with them. And I wasn't really keen on someone sitting in Edward's seat. He might not be able to sit there until the start of Senior year, but my mind it was still his chair. I know that the rest of the family saw the same reasons that I did.

I walked over to the table, as quickly as I could after paying for my lunch, hoping to lose Jess in the chaos that was lunch. With no such luck. Moments after I sat down, she appeared next to me, receiving glares and stares from the Cullens. She stiffened slightly at their icy reception, but pretended not to notice. Unfortunately, the Cullens had become so in tune with how Edward was feeling that they noticed instantly when someone was uncomfortable. I noted all of their smiles when they saw how uncomfortable their glares made Jess. I couldn't help a small smirk appearing on my face either. It was something that no one on the outside could understand. And I wasn't about to let Jessica in on that secret.

"Well?" She asked, slight less enthusiastically than earlier.

"Well, what?" I asked again and I saw from her expression that she wanted answers.

"What happened?" She asked, her voice getting higher and higher in pitch. I could tell that the Cullens were not at all happy with her questions about their brother. I remembered the last time that rumours had spread about him. Mike had almost lost his face to Emmett's fist.

"He proposed. I said yes." I looked at her, telling her that this conversation was at an end.

"Fine." She snapped, standing up. "I will get the information I want out of you Isabella." She said as she walked away. I snorted as I watched her walk over to her usual table. I noticed that Lauren was still glaring at me. For what reason I had no idea. Lauren and I had never really spoken but I had given her no reason to hate me enough for her to look at me in that way.

"You alright, Bells?" Emmett asked, motioning towards my untouched food.

"Actually." I said, pushing myself away from the table. "I'm not feeling too well. I think I'm going to head out of here."

"You want a ride?" Emmett asked, looking concerned.

I shook my head. "No, it's a short walk to my house and I can drive to yours. I was thinking about keeping Edward company, you know?" They all nodded at me, smiling. They realised that we would want to spend time together and didn't make a fuss. After all, the only one who knew what happened last night was Alice. As I stood up and turned around to leave, I wiggled my pinky at Alice and she winked at me inconspiciously to show that she understood. Looking at the other three, I saw that they made no movements to show that they had seen our little exchange. I said goodbye and walked out of the cafeteria. I signed myself out of the office and walked the short distance to my house, revelling in the rare sunlight that drifted over Forks.

I reached my house and let myself in, dumping my books and bag on the table in the kitchen before grabbing my car keys and heading back out of the door, and climbing into my truck.

The drive to the Cullens was short, just how I wanted it. I hated it when the ride to the Cullens house seemed too long. It was torture.

I turned up the long driveway and I felt my brow furrow in confusion as I saw that Edward's Volvo wasn't there. That was strange. Where would Edward be at this time of day?

I climbed out of my truck and half-ran towards the house, praying that I wasn't going to trip. I knew that something like that was bound to happen. It always did where I was concerned. Damn my clumsiness. Placing the key in the lock, I let myself in. I took off my shoes and jacket before calling out to him.

"Edward?" I called, wandering throughout the house. "Edward, love, are you here?"

No answer.

I was getting concerned now. He should be here. I knew that he didn't have anything planned for today. Or at least I didn't think he did. Normally he told me when he was planning on going out. Understandably, yesterday he didn't so I didn't add that into my calculations.

I walked up the stairs, noticing that the candles that had lined them, creating a path up them and down the hallway last night, had been cleared away. I knocked on the door, in case he was here and just hadn't heard me. Not getting an answer I opened the door. I noticed that all of the candles and the boxes that had littered the floor from last night had been cleared away. _Someone's been a busy little bee._ I thought, a small smile playing on my lips. I also noticed that the room was lacking one vital thing.

My fiance.

Where the hell was he?

**o.O  
Will Bella work out where Edward is?  
Tune in next time to find out what happens on the beach between Edward and Jacob.  
Please Review. You know how happy they make me :D  
xx**


	17. The Beach

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

_"Hey," Someone shouted. "What the hell are you doing here?"_

_I turned around and saw the last person I wanted to see. Only this time he was flunked by some cronies that didn't look too friendly._

_Jacob Black._

I sighed, rolling my eyes as they approached me. This wasn't going to be pretty. I squared my shoulders and set my jaw, determined to not let this guy get to me. I had what he wanted more than anything.

I had Bella.

I had won.

She was wearing my ring. The symbol of the eternal love that I would feel for her. Nothing that this guy said or did was ever going to change that. And her agreeing to marry me only showed me that she felt the same way that I did. And I'll be damned if some kid's jealousy was going to take away the best thing in my life.

"I said, what the hell are you doing here?" He repeated, coming to a halt in front of me, his eyes full of hatred.

"Um...." I pretended to think. "I don't know. Walking. Enjoying the sun. Or at least I _was_." I felt a small smirk approach my lips and I did nothing to stop it. "That is until _you_ decided to show up _try_ to ruin my day."

"You're not welcome here." The guy standing to the right of Jacob sneered at me.

I switched my gaze to him. He was almost as big as Jacob was. He had the same dark skin and hair as Jacob so I knew instantly that he was also from the Indian tribe that Bella had told me about. The one that lived on the reservation a little way away from the beach. "And why is that?"

"You know why." Jacob hissed.

"Why?" I folded my arms over my chest. "Because of Bella? Because she fell in love with me instead of you?" He flinched when I said that and my smirk grew. I knew that I was unchartered territory. I knew that I was outnumbered. And I didn't care. He was trying to split Bella and I up, and I wasn't going to let that happen. "What's the matter Jacob? Can't handle that fact? Can't handle that she fell for someone other than you?" He didn't answer and that in itself gave me the answer I needed. "Of course you can't. Because in your mind Bella shouldn't be with anyone but you. And you'd even go so far as to make her extremely miserable and depressed to ensure that fact, wouldn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He retorted, unconvincingly, I might add.

I chuckled darkly, shaking my head at him. "Okay, Jacob. If you're going lie to someone, make sure that it's not someone who's had years of practise." My gaze flicked to the other two. I knew that he had told them his warped view of where I had been. "So why don't you...quit acting like a child and tell me _why_ you decided that it would be a good idea to phone Renee and tell her a load of bullshit."

"I didn't tell her a "load of bullshit"." He started to smirk now. "I told her the truth."

"Oh really?" I raised my eyebrows at him. "So what would that be?"

"That you're fucked up!" The other guy, the one standing to the left of Jacob snapped. Again he was big. Not Emmett big, none of these guys were _that_ big, but they still had a definite size advantage over me. He also had the same dark skin and hair as the other two, indicating that he was from the same community as the other two. Hell, they were all probably related. It wouldn't surprise me. They all had the intelligence quota for the end product of generations of inbreeding.

"Right?" I pretended to think about that for a moment as I slid my hands into my pockets. I immediately found what I was looking for. My phone. I knew the buttons off by heart so I unlocked it without having to slide it up. I slid my thumb over the buttons, searching for the right number. Once I had found it I held it down, knowing that it was a speed dial button. Emmett. I smirked again, knowing that they would be at lunch round about now, so seeing a call from me he would definitely pick up the phone. I felt the slight vibration of someone answering the phone run through my fingers. "And where did you get that idea?" I asked, knowing that Emmett would be able to hear the conversation from where the phone was in my pocket.

"Well, isn't that obvious?" Jacob chuckled. "I mean, you have just spent the last eight months in an insano hospital."

I glared at him, trying to keep my anger undercontrol. The vibrations of Emmett shouting "Hello?" and panicking had stopped and I knew that he had heard this. I just prayed that he hadn't hung up by now, without hearing who it was I was with. If they heard they would know exactly where I was.

"Where did you hear that?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. "Because whoever it was has their facts a little mixed up."

"Really?!" The one to the right of Jacob said laughing. "Well, that's not what we heard."

"So tell me," I crossed my arms over my chest again, phone still in hand, hidden from their view. "What is it exactly that you heard?"

"That you're completely fucked up." Jacob answered quickly.

"Yeah, we already did that one." I retorted and the three of them snarled at me. I knew that I was getting under their skin by not giving them a real reaction, which I was guessing is what they were looking for. Any reason to display with their fists their displeasure at my being with Bella. "No, really. Tell me what you _think_ you know."

"Why?" Jacob snapped, looking me up and down as though I was a poisonous snake, ready to pounce. He sighed and glared at me again. "Alright, tell us this. If you were "mentally sound"," He added quotation marks earning chuckles and sneers from the two people next to him. "Then why would you starve yourself huh? Why would you slice yourself up? Huh? I mean, those sound like acts of someone who's a bit fucked up to me."

"So Jacob," I looked down at the ground briefly before meeting his gaze again. "You ever heard of depression?"

"Yeah," He looked at me as though I really was crazy. "Of course I have."

"And did you know that everyone, no matter who they are, rich or poor, healthy, ill, no matter of their race, age, or whatever, gets depressed at some point in their life?" The three of them stared at me dumbly. I had stumped them. They didn't know that everyone suffers from some sort of depression throughout their lives. "No? Okay. Then you obviously didn't know that some people suffer a lot worse from depression than others. But of course, how could you know that? Because the three of _you_ haven't been through what others have, have you?"

Jacob tensed up, earning the very reaction I wanted. I knew from Bella, that Jacob's mother had died when he was younger, so I knew that he would have a problem with that statement. The other two I didn't know about. Jacob was the only one I had met from the reservation.

"I've been through more than you can imagine." Jacob sneered through gritted teeth.

"Oh really?" I raised my eyebrows again. "I know you lost your mother. That must have been a hard time for you." I saw his eyes grow even darker and he began to shake from anger.

"Easy Jake." The guy to the right of Jacob placed a hand on his shoulder and he stopped shaking. "He's trying to rile you up that's all."

"Yeah," I smirked again. "And it's working."

"How the hell would you know what I felt back then?" Jacob snapped at me, barely keeping his voice under control enough to be understood. "How the hell can you imagine what-"

"Because I've been there!" I snarled back. "You lost your mother, yes? But you had your sisters and your father there, correct?" He glared back, knowing where I had gotten this information from. "Well....seeing as I know about you, and your loss, how about I tell you about me?" They all smirked at me, probably thinking that I was going to tell them some story about hearing voices in my head and being shipped off to a mental hospital, probably expecting a laugh from it. _Sorry boys_, I thought. _If that's what you want, then you're not going to get it._ "Did you know that Carlisle and Esme are_ not_ my real parents?" The other two looked confused and Jacob only smirked. "Left that detail out did you Jacob? Well, then it would surprise the two of you to know that _both_ of my parents are dead." The other two glanced at each other and then looked at Jacob.

"Jake, is that true?" The one to the left of Jacob asked cautiously. Jacob didn't answer him, he only glared at me. "How could you not tell us that Jake?"

"Shut up Seth." Jacob snarled.

"No," The one I had learned was called Seth snapped. "How could you tell us that he was shipped to a mental hospital and fail to tell us that-"

"I was _not_ shipped to a mental hospital." I sneered through gritted teeth, glaring at Jacob.

"You had therapy and stuff there." Jacob retorted, smirking again. "Little "activity sessions" as well? Sounds like an insano place to me. Full of fucked up little freaks like you, who think tha the only way to deal with your problems is to slowly kill yourself. Not something someone sane would do is it?"

"You have no idea." I whispered, knowing full well he could hear me. His expression flashed confusion before it turned back into a smirk. "Have you got any idea of what it's like to watch your parents die? To see them burn right in front of your eyes?" I kept my voice low, knowing that I would end up screaming at them if I didn't. I also didn't want to give Jacob the satisfaction of knowing that he'd gotten to me. Gotten under my skin. I had been able to keep my emotions under check for a decade or so, I could do it now. "Doesn't seem like it does it? Do you know what it feels like to know that if you had been a little quieter, or hadn't gotten into trouble at school that day, they'd still be alive? Didn't think so." I took a deep breath. "I do. Because I have done. I had to watch my parents burn to death, knowing that there was nothing I could do to help them. I had comprehend the idea that I was all alone, that I had nobody. Yes, you may have lost your mother Jacob, but you still had your father, your sisters around you. You could comfort each other. You had each other. But I had no one. No family. No family friends who would be able to take me in. I was all alone. Now, tell me, that you think you could go through that, at age six, and not be left with some form of depression. To not think a little differently. You three tell me, honestly, that you could go through that and _not_ have your way of thinking altered even slightly, then ..... then there is something seriously wrong with you."

The other two looked shocked. They were glaring at Jacob now, instead of me. He had obviously forgotten to mention this little detail about my past. Something he obviously knew about because he was glaring at me, his hands bunched into fists.

"Why didn't you tell us this Jake?" Seth, I think was his name, asked Jacob. It seemed he and the other guy were getting angry now.

"Because you didn't need to know." Jacob sneered.

"Didn't need to know?" The other guy asked, disbelief in his voice. "You told us that he was insane. You told us that his being with Bella could and would hurt her. We thought that you were being a good friend! Not twisting the truth so that we would help you! You failed to mention what he had been through, even though it is _obvious_ that you knew all along. You never mentioned that he wasn't insane, merely depressed!" I scoffed at his use of the word merely. If he heard me then he made no move. "You never said that it was depression that fueled it actions and nothing else. You made it sound as though he was one of these whack jobs that heard voices that told him to kill people or something!" This guy was getting angry now. "I can't believe this Jake! This was all because of Bella wasn't it?! Haven't you learned yet that she's not interested in you that way? She never will be Jake, even if Edward hadn't come along." He took a deep breath, realisation sweeping over his face. "That's why you phoned Renee wasn't it? Because you're jealous! Not to keep her daughter safe like you said. But because you didn't want the two of them together?!"

"Oh, that's priceless Jake," Seth scoffed. I don't know why, but it felt good to have these two standing up for me. "That's great. You really are one class act Jake." He started to clap his hands slowly. Sarcastically.

Jake was still glaring at me. He had begun shakin again and I knew that he was getting more and more worked up by the second. He took a step towards me and the next thing I knew I was on the ground, a throbbing pain tormenting the side of my face. Jacob had punched me. With the force of his punch combined with his size I had fallen back onto the sand. Before I knew it, his knee was on my chest and he had grabbed the front of my shirt.

Images of Emmett in the same position involuntarily flew through my mind as I started to panic inside. I knew that this was a different situation and really, had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with Bella. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't erase that night from my mind. The look of complete sorrow and desperation on Emmett's face as he stood in the doorway to my room. The fear as I realised what he was going to do. The terror as he pinned me to the floor, in the exact same position that Jacob held me in right now, cutting off my air supply. The two situations were too similar for me not to make the connections. Even though Emmett knew that what he had done was wrong, and had apologised profusely for it, it was something that would never be erased from my mind.

I felt his fist connect with my face again, from the same side and I felt my lip split painfully.

"Jake," I heard the two of them cry. "What the fuck are you doing man?" I could feel them trying to pull him off of me, but they weren't strong enough to get him off of me. He grabbed the front of my shirt and lifted my shoulders up, sneering at me.

"JACOB BLACK!" I heard a scream come from somewhere down the beach and he froze. I would know that petrified scream anywhere. And so did he.

Bella.

Emmett had worked out that I wasin trouble, and had phoned Bella, and Bella being the intelligent angel that she was, had worked out where I was. I heard her running down the beach towards us, as Seth and the other guy, I still hadn't learned his name, tried in vain to get Jacob off of me.

"Jacob!" I heard her shout. She was closer now. I heard her footsteps approaching my head as she slowed down. "Get. The. Fuck. Off. Of. Him. Right. Now!" She said every word as though it was a seperate sentence.

"Sorry, Bells." He sneered at me. Bella was standing over the two of us now, her face filled with a mixture of worry for me and anger and hatred directed at Jacob. "He said some stuff and I need to teach him a lesson." He smirked at me and I could tell that he was about to pull his fist back to hit me again. I could feel the blood from my lip running down the side of my face and I knew that I was going to have a nice bruise on my cheek the next day.

Before he could pull his fist back again, I saw Bella look up to the side of him as Seth and the other guy let go of Jacob, jumping away quickly. I didn't understand why they were doing this. Were they just going to let him beat the crap out of me? After they had been trying to get him off of me, were they just giving in to him? And what about Bella? Why wasn't she trying to get him off of me?

My questions were answered when something went barrelling into the side of Jacob, throwing him off of me and into the sand a good few feet away. I gratefully sucked in as much air as I could. Bella was at my side instantaneously. She placed a hand underneath my shoulders and helped me to sit up. I looked over to where Jacob was being held captive, wiping the blood off of my face with the back of my hand. Alice was at my side with a tissue. I took his and smiled at her gratefully, wiping the blood from my hand and face. I looked over to see that Rose and Jasper were here as well. Rose was walking over to me and Jasper had stopped and was taking in the scene in its entirity.

Looking over to where Jacob was struggling, I saw that Emmett was sat on top of him, holding him in the same position he had just had me in, his hands clenched in his shirt lifting his head up off of the ground slightly. Bella kissed my cheek softly and then stood up, storming over to Jacob and Emmett. She placed a hand on Emmett's shoulder and he looked up at her. Some sort of silent exchange went on between the two of them and Emmett shoved Jacob's head back into the sand and stood up, walking back over to where the rest of us were.

He held out a hand to me and I grabbed it, not caring about the physical contact that this point, although my muscles still involuntarily stiffened at the touch. He pulled me up gently and looked me over.

"You alright, man?" He asked and I nodded.

"Could be worse." I replied and he nodded, glaring at Jacob. Bella walked up beside me and wrapped her arm around my waist, smiling up at me before turning an evil stare on Jacob.

"What the hell did you think you were doing Jacob?" She snarled as he got up and stood in front of us. "Well?" He shrugged. "You think that's a good enough answer? You think that it's alright to hurt Edward just because you're jealous? You really think that if you hurt Edward, I'm going to come running? You know what, Jacob, grow up!" She placed her hand on my chest now, gazing up at me. "Are you okay?" She whispered, pressing her lips to my jaw. I nodded before pressing my lips to hers.

As I broke the kiss I saw Jacob was glaring at us. More specifically Bella's hand.

He had seen the engagement ring.

I smirked, knowing that this was going to get a hell of a lot more interesting.

Bring it on.

**This is a little shorter than I wanted it to be, but this seemed like the best place to stop. I promise that the next couple of chapters will be longer :D  
Well, he didn't get hurt. Okay, only a little. But think, it could have been a lot worse.  
I'm still surprised by the amount of Jacob haters that this story has seemed to attract. There are a lot of team Edward's out there. To be fair I am Team Edward all the way. :D  
Please Review. Edward would love it if you did :P  
xx**


	18. Thinking

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

I watched Jacob, trying to gauge his reaction as he stared at the ring on Bella's finger, the cogs turning in his mind. I could tell he was working it out and I wasn't entirely sure if I was alright with that fact or not.

"This?" Bella snapped, holding up her hand so that the ring glistened and glinted in the sunlight. "This is an engagement ring, Jacob. Edward and I are engaged." I saw his fists scrunch together even tighter at this as he turned a rainbow of colours. I could have sworn that given another minute his brain would have imploded. That would have actually been amusing to see, that is, if I wasn't concerned about mine and Bella's safety. Even though Emmett was here, Jacob was still big. Bigger than me at least. And he had already shown that he was able to overpower me. "What? Are you going to run off and tell my mommy about that too?"

"Wait, what?!" Emmett cried from beside me. "That was you?! You told Renee about Bella and Edward?!" I looked at Emmett. He was seething and turning red now, his fists flexing open and closed as he stood there staring at Jacob. "You're ruining my little brother's life because you're jealous?!"

I rolled my eyes, thinking that Emmett was overreacting. He wasn't completely ruining my life. Yes, I was incredibly depressed about the fact that Bella was leaving soon, but she would come back. For me. She had made that promise, and she had sealed it through our actions the previous night. There was no reason for Emmett to call Jacob out on that, because it wasn't true, even though I wanted him to seriously pay for the call he had made. I was about to tell Emmett this when Alice walked up beside him and held out her hand, telling me to stop.

"No, Edward." She said forcefully, looking at me in a way that said "let us fight him" before glaring at Jacob. "That is what he is doing. He is effectively taking everything away from you because he can't have what he wants. Have you ever thought Jacob, that Bella wouldn't want to be with you, even if Edward hadn't come along? Hence the fact that she _wasn't_ with you before we moved to Forks."

"Exactly." Rosalie chipped in, walking up to stand on the other side of Bella, Jasper taking his place beside her, creating a line of Cullens in front of Jacob. "That should be enough to tell you that Bella _isn't interested_ and never will be. She's with Edward, so nothing you do will have any effect. And yes, they are getting married."

"And you know what?" Bella said, her anger audible in her voice. "It really doesn't matter if you call Renee, because I will be eighteen when I come back, and I won't need parents permission to marry Edward. Which is what I plan to do as soon as I return." I could hear the smugness in her voice, but I couldn't bring myself to smile along with her.

I sort of zoned myself out at that point, not really wanting to hear the insults that my family were throwing at Jacob. I know I should have been thankful for it, but I didn't want their help. It just made me seem weak and made me look as though I couldn't look after myself. What happened to the independence that I was supposed to be building up through my recovery. I realised then that I wasn't really gaining any independence. I still had to rely on my family. No matter what it was for. I couldn't really do anything on my own.

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear my head, but it didn't work. All I could hear was my family throwing more and more insults at Jacob, rubbing it in that he couldn't have Bella. How we were getting married. How he needed to accept that fact and grow up. I didn't hear the words specifically, but I knew that those would be along the lines of what they were saying.

I pulled myself away from Bella gently and turned around, walking to my car. I heard her calling to me, but I needed to be on my own for a while. I needed to figure out some stuff in my own head.

I walked quickly towards where I had parked my car. I saw that Emmett's Jeep and Bella's truck were sitting there next to my Volvo. I thought that was weird as Bella had gone to school with the others this morning. Had she gone home at some point along the way or during the day to pick up her truck for some reason? I didn't really think about that right now. All I needed to know was that I needed to be alone.

As I walked around to the drivers side of the car, I looked over the beach and saw that there was a fight breaking out on the beach. Emmett and Jacob had obviously said some choice words to each other. I could hear the others shouting, either egging the two of them on, cheering for the one they wanted to win, or screaming at them to stop. I couldn't hear which it was, all I could hear were shouts coming from Jasper and the two guys that were with Jacob and screams coming from the girls.

But there was one figure standing slightly away from the main group. Slightly closer to me, and I knew they were watching me.

Bella.

I had hurt her when I had pulled away. I knew that. But it didn't really matter to me at that point in time. All I knew was that I wanted to get away from the group, so I just walked away, ignoring her calls to me. She knew that I wanted to be alone, so she hadn't followed me. I could see that she was hurting, even though I couldn't make out her expression I knew that I had hurt her.

I would explain everything to her later. When I had worked things out in my own mind, I would tell her.

I climbed into the car and turned on the ignition, backing slowly out of the small parking lot that was there for those using the beach. I would be lying if I said that turning off the ignition and running back onto the beach to embrace Bella was the last thing I wanted to do. Because it wasn't. I wanted nothing more than to do that. But I needed to be on my own. I needed to work through what was going on in my head. It wasn't fair to Bella if I didn't as I wouldn't be able to concentrate on her, our relationship or my recovery. And, I realised, it wasn't fair to me. I needed to do this for myself. I knew that now. But Bella was the catalyst behind all of my decisions. I knew that as well. If she hadn't been there from the beginnig of my recovery there was no way that I would have gotten this far. I would still be stuck in the clinic, probably still hooked up to that goddamned feeding tube.

I drove slowly down the roads towards my house, wanting to take as long as I possibly could. Driving had always calmed me. I didn't turn on the radio, or one of my CD's. I needed the silence. I needed the silence to think. Pulling up to my house, I turned off the ignition, and leaned my forehead on the steering wheel, taking a deep breath. I had noted that the Jeep and truck were not here yet, seeing as I had driven purposefully slowly, they could have been back before me if they had left just after me. My conclusion was that they were still at the beach. Fighting _my_ battle.

I thought that everything I was going through and doing now was supposed to help with my self confidence and independence. It was supposed to make it so that I could fight my own battles, wasn't it? That was the impression that I had ascertained anyway. Obviously I was wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my family and I was grateful that they were there today. Jacob could have done some serious damage to me if they hadn't shown up or if they'd gotten there a little later on. But what I needed was for them to stop with the overprotectiveness. I mean, yes, saving me from getting completely beaten beyond recognition I could deal with, but then moving on to fight the fight that I could have easily fought by myself, that was taking it too far for me.

Climbing out of the car and letting myself into the house I realised that they probably didn't even notice how it made me feel.

It made me feel weak and worthless. Like I wasn't able to do anything for myself. Like I would always need to be looked after by them. And I knew then that they would always be there.

As I walked up to my bedroom, realisation hit me. I was still never on my own unless I was asleep. My family still never left me alone.

I slammed my door shut out of frustration and locked it so they couldn't disturb me when they got back. So they couldn't harrass me with all their questions as I knew they would.

They still didn't trust me to be on my own.

I knew that Bella was with me as much as she could be because of the love that she felt for me. Like the love that I felt for her. I could never get enough of her and I missed her even when she was upstairs getting dressed and I was downstairs, or vice versa. I missed her as soon as she left through the front door to go to school. I missed her when she went into the bathroom each morning to get herself ready for school. I missed her when she left my arms for even a minute.

But my family was different.

They were always with me because they didn't trust me.

That thought tore me up inside. I thought that after everything I had been through to prove to them that I was doing okay, that I was getting better, would prove to them that I could be left on my own. I knew now, what that look was on Esme and Carlisle's faces when they had to leave for work, knowing that I would be on my own. It was worry. Not of whether I would be okay on my own. But the worry that came with the question "will he hurt himself today?". I hated that look, but now that I realised what lay behind it, I despised it. I also now understood why Esme had been working from home a lot more. Four days out of five she would be working at home now. At first I had thought that it was so she could keep me company while the others were at school and Carlisle was at work. I knew now, that it was to keep an eye on me. To make sure that I ate, to make sure that I didn't do anything stupid. They were still treating me like a child. And I hated the thought.

I felt the hot tears running down my face as I leaned back and slid down my door, bringing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs.

I was still being treated like a child. Like I was a china doll that would break any moment, and had to be wrapped in cotton wool, so that nothing would happen to it. I hated being treated this way. There was only one person who didn't treat me that way.

Bella.

Everything came back to her. Yes, she protected me. But only from the things that she knew that I knew I needed protecting from. She was always there, pushing me forward with my recovery, encouraging me to get better. Not for her, even though she _had_ played that card once in the clinic. But she made sure that I did it for me.

My family on the other hand seemed to be holding me back. The seemed to always want to shield me from what was happening around me. If I asked a question I would never get a full answer from them like I would from Bella. I cursed myself mentally for not realising all of this sooner.

They thought that I was still the Edward I was when I came home from the hospital after I had tried to kill myself. Couldn't they see that I wasn't him anymore. That I was stronger than that. That I didn't need to be supervised like a child.

I stood up and walked over to my bed, shedding my jacket and hanging over the chair that stood in front of my desk as I went. I hadn't taken my shoes off downstairs as my head was still trying to wrap around and make sense of the things that were flying around my head at the time. I knew that I would probably get in trouble for that later on. I sat down on my bed before taking off my shoes. I threw my shoes carelessly across the room and curled up on my bed. Today had taken a lot out of me, I knew that, but I was too wired to sleep. There was too much going on in my head.

A little while later, I wasn't so sure on how much later, as I hadn't been paying attention to the time, I heard car doors slamming and I knew that the others were home. I looked over at my door, making sure that it was locked. I didn't want to see anyone at the moment. Not even Bella. It hurt to admit that, but it was true. I didn't want her to see me this way. I knew that on some level I was being selfish, but I knew that it would hurt her to see me feeling this way. It always did. Even though she could brush it off with her actions, her eyes, those deep chocolate brown eyes, gave away her hidden pain. I hated being the cause of that pain and I sure as hell couldn't bear to see it there today.

I heard the front door slam and several pairs of feet running up the stairs. I knew that they were coming up to check on me. Either to make sure that I was okay or to make sure I hadn't done anything stupid. What the reasons were I didn't know and I didn't care. I wasn't going to let them in. Not yet anyway. The only ones who could get into my room when the door was locked were Carlisle, Esme and myself. They had keys to get in, though they had never had a reason to use them.

"Edward?" I heard Bella call from just outside the door, trying to open it, yet failing. "Edward, love, open the door. Please?" I could hear the worry in her voice but I didn't answer.

"Edward, come on." Jasper was there as well. I could also hear that he was worried. I cringed thinking that I had gone that far. Jasper was always the calm one in the family and hardly ever got worked up, even in his fights with Emmett. He was always the cool, calm and collected one of us.

"Edward!" I heard Alice whine and I instantly knew that they were all there. I picked up my pillow, turned over and put the pillow over my head so that I didn't have to listen to them anymore.

I heard banging on my door, even though it was muffled my the pillow. "Edward! Come on! This isn't funny, man! Open up!" Emmett yelled, panic in his voice. The last time I had shut myself in my room like this, I had sliced my wrists open, so I guessed he had every right to be worried.

I heard Bella talking to them quietly outside the door. They were all grumbling, and I knew that Bella was sending them all downstairs so that she could talk to me.

"Edward, love?" I heard her call as I took my head out from under my pillow, resting my head on it. "Please open the door. I just want to know that you're alright? What happened babe? You just walked off. What's wrong? You can tell me, you know that right?"

I didn't answer. I knew that I was being a complete jerk to her when she was only trying to help me but I didn't know what else to do at this point. All I wanted was to be alone. But I should have known, that in this house that wasn't possible. If you're me that is.

"I'm not going anywhere." She told me, defiance in her voice as though she could hear my thoughts. "I'm going to wait here until you talk to me." I heard her lean against the door and slide down it, sitting down on the other side. "I'm going to sit right here until you talk to me." And I knew that she would. I had a long thread and a lot of patience. It would take me a long time to give in and talk to her, and I knew that she wouldn't cave until I did.

I laid there, staring out the window, watching as the sky grew darker, not saying anything, not moving. Just watching as the sun began to leave the sky. I knew that Esme was home, as she had come up the stairs, after obviously being told by the others what had happened today at the beach. She had told Bella to come downstairs and they would let Carlisle "deal with it"as she had so delicately put it. It had taken Esme a while, but she had convinced her to move, but with the solemn threat that she would be back up there as soon as Carlisle was home. I didn't care at that point. I wanted to be alone. I needed to be alone.

I needed to think.

And that was something I couldn't do when I was being hounded by my family. I hated to include Bella in that phrase at this point, but I did.

Just after Esme got home, my stomach started to growl, but I ignored it. I didn't want to see my family now. I knew that I could hold out until the next morning. Even though this would cause them to worry about me, the fact that I hadn't eaten for a good few hours or so, I didn't really care. I needed my space.

I decided that lying there wasn't getting me anywhere so I decided to read something. I pulled out the Biology book that I had had to get for Junior year and settled for going through it, seeing what I remembered. Testing myself. It was a good distraction for a while. Until Carlisle came home that is.

I sighed as I heard Carlisle's car coming up the driveway and I knew that as soon as the front door closed they would be all over him, telling him how I had locked myself in my room. I knew what was coming, and yet I didn't really care. I knew that he wouldn't just rush up here and demand that I let him in, or use his key immediately. No. He was too calm and collected for that. He would listen to what they had to say, what had happened after they had gotten to the beach, Emmett would tell him what he had heard over the phone and after they were all done telling him, he would weigh up his options and "deal with me" accordingly.

After a while, I heard the panicked chatter from downstairs subside. I didn't know what was happening now, and I didn't really want to know. I continued to read the passage I had open about cells, even though it was one of the most boring things I had ever written.

A moment later, I heard footsteps ascending the stairs and I knew instantly it was Carlisle. He had obviously told the others to remain downstairs and from the sound of it, they all had, even thought I knew it had to be paining Bella to do so. Someone would have to be holding her down to keep her down there. I knew that if it was me they would do. I heard him place his key in the lock of my door, obviously realising that asking me to open it would prove fruitless. He was right.

I looked up and saw him standing there with a bowl in his hands. He smiled a small smile at me, walking over to me. "I'm not going to ask you what happened today, as I know that you won't tell me now. If you want to tell me, you can, but I'm not going to push." As annoying as this family can be sometimes, I had to appreciate Carlisle's consideration sometimes. "I brought you some dinner." He walked over to me. "It's chicken noodles. I know I'm breaking the rules here, but I figured that you wouldn't want to eat with the rest of the family today."

"I'm not hungry." I told him bluntly and he sighed.

"I don't Edward. You need to eat." He placed the bowl on the bed in front of me, just in front of the book I had laid out on the bed.

I slammed the book closed, annoyed now. "All you care about is whether or not I eat?" I snapped at his retreating form.

He stopped in the doorway and turned around to look at me, his expression a mixture of sadness and anger. "You know Edward, it's what most parents want. For their children to eat. To thrive. To grow."

"How can I "thrive and grow" when I'm always under constant surveillance?" I retorted. "I thought that part of my recovery was for me to discover my own independence. To fight my own battles. Not to have my family fight them for me."

"Is that what this is about?" He asked, placing a hand on the doorknob. "The fact that the others came to the beach earlier?"

"No that's not it." I sighed. "Yes, I'll admit I was grateful that they stopped me from getting the crap beaten out of me. But they could have left it at that. They didn't need to carry on the way they did. I could have done that myself!"

"They were only looking out for you Edward. They were trying to help-"

"That's the point!" I was almost yelling at him now. "Everyone is always trying to help me! So much so that I never get a chance to help myself! I feel like I'm being smothered. Again!"

He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Edward. Now....eat your dinner and we'll talk about this later."

"I told you!" I picked up the bowl. "I don't want it!" To emphasise my point I threw the bowl on the floor, hoping he'd get the point and stop trying to push me to eat. He stood there staring at the bowl that was now upside down on my floor, noodles spilling out onto the carpet.

"Fine." He said, his voice calm and measured. He looked back up at me, his face blank. "You can eat it off the floor."

I glared at him as he left. He didn't close my door and I immediately threw myself off of the bed and slammed it closed, locking it before anyone else had a chance to worm their way into my room. I turned around and leaned my back against the door, resting my head on it as I let the tears that had been threatening to fall, spill over.

I knew that this was going to get worse before it got better. Even though I had tried hard not to, I had done the one thing that I promised myself I wouldn't.

I had taken a step backwards.

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	19. Searching

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**BPOV**

I walked quickly throughout the house, calling for Edward. I knew he wasn't there, but for some reason I had to check.

Starting to panic, thinking about where he could have gone, I ran to where I had hung my jacket. He would usually leave a note when he went out, which wasn't often, telling us where he had gone and when he would be home. I had found no such note, so I was a little worried. Maybe he had thought that he would be back before we got back. But then again, he wasn't expecting me to come back to the house half way through the day.

I grabbed my phone out of my jacket pocket and was about to flip it open to call Edward to find out where he was when it started to ring. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Emmett calling me.

"Hello?" I asked cautiously, wondering what Emmett would be calling me about. He knew where I was going so he couldn't be too worried.

"Bella?" Wrong. He sounded panicked.

"Emmett, what's wrong?" I asked him, panic rising in my chest again.

"I think Edward's in trouble." He said, panting slightly. He was running and I could hear Alice and Jasper shouting at him and Rose to hurry up in the background.

"What?" I gasped. "What do you mean?"

"I just got a call from him. At first I thought he had called me by accident you know, because I didn't hear anything but rustling on the other end. I thought that he might have just pushed his speeddial without realising it." I heard several car doors slam shut and I knew that they were in the Jeep now. I didn't hear the engine start, knowing that Emmett may be a crazy driver, but there was no way he would drive whilst on the phone talking to someone. "But then I heard voices. They were clear. There were four of them, that much I could hear. One of them was Edward's, but I had no idea who's the other three were. Until I heard him say one of their names."

"Jacob." I whispered.

"Yeah," Emmett sounded confused. "How did you know?" I didn't think that he was aware of the whole situation with Jacob and Renee. Edward obviously hadn't told his family about that little detail. I hadn't really expected that he would.

"Never mind, I'll explain later." I thought hard, running a hand through my hair, another little habit that I'd picked up from Edward. "Um, where would he go where Jacob would be?" I asked, more to myself than to Emmett. I knew that he was thinking the same thing on the other end. I started pacing, thinking harder and faster than I remembered thinking before. I knew that if we didn't find them soon, Jacob could do Edward a lot of damage. Not just physically. "Where does Jacob live?" I blinked, confused at this question.

"La Push." I answered. "Emmett, I fail to see the connec-" I stopped as realisation hit me. "The beach." I whispered, almost inaudibly.

"What?" I heard Emmett ask on the other end of the phone, starting the engine of his Jeep, knowing that I had figured it out.

"The beach!" I almost shouted. "First Beach, on the reservation! That's where he is!"

"Alright!" Emmett cried. "Thank god for your brain Bells! We're on our way there. Meet you there?"

"Yeah," I didn't bother grabbing my jacket. I just shoved on my shoes and ran out of the door. "See you there." I hung up and clambered into my truck, shoving the keys into the ignition and driving down the driveway.

I pushed the truck as fast as it would go, cursing that it wouldn't go any faster than fifty-five miles an hour. I really needed someone to take a look at it. Normally I would have asked Jacob, seeing as he was the best mechanic I knew, but after his recent behaviour there was no way I was going to ask him for anything. I entered La Push and sighed when I began to see the trees thinning out slightly, knowing that I was getting close to the beach. I rounded the corner and saw that Emmett wasn't there yet. There was no Jeep, but I did see Edward's Volvo. I had been right in my guess.

Edward was here.

I parked my truck haphazardly, not really caring how many parking spaces I took up. I needed to find Edward, and fast.

I leapt out of my truck and ran to the edge of the carpark, looking over the beach. I saw them immediately. The four of them standing there. It looked like Edward was alright. For now at least. I started to make my way down the hillside that looked over the beach, not taking my eyes off of the quartet that stood a little way ahead of me. As I was walking I saw one of the figures firstly punch the one standing in front of them, knocking them to the ground. I felt my pace increase as that same figure launched themselves at the one on the ground, pinning them there.

Jacob had attacked Edward.

I began to run down the hillside, which for me was not a good idea and I knew that I could trip at any moment. As I ran I saw the two figures that were with Jacob trying to pull him off. I recognised them as Seth and Embry. I thanked the lord that they were there, trying to get Jacob off of Edward, because if they weren't then.....then.....I didn't want to think about what could have happened if they hadn't been.

"JACOB BLACK!" I screamed as I ran towards the four of them. Jacob hadn't moved from his position on top of Edward. I saw that Seth and Embry were still trying to get Jacob off of him, with no success. I knew that when Jacob was angry he could become like a brick wall. Almost as immovable as Emmett, but not quite. I silently cursed them for not getting here yet, but I knew that the school was further out than the Cullens home was, so it would take a little longer for them to get here than it had me. "Jacob!" I had almost reached them now, and I slowed down to a walk. "Get. The. Fuck. Off. Of. Him. Right. Now!" I spat every word at him, emphasising each and every one.

He didn't look up from Edward's face. I saw that Edward had a bruise forming already and his lip had been split. "Sorry Bells." I heard him sneer, his gaze never leaving Edward's face. I was standing directly over the two of them now. I could see that Edward's face was composed and yet his eyes conversed a look I knew all too well. I knew that look he had from our time in the clinic. It was fear. He had had that look just before he had had the feeding tube fitted for the first time. When he had finally told me about his parents. When I had had to tell him that I had to leave. I would never forget that look.

It was there now for a different reason. He knew as well as I did what Jacob was capable of. I hated Jacob more than I could express. I could see through my peripheral vision that Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Rose had arrived and were now running down the beach, looks of terror on the girls faces and looks of hatred and anger on the guys. Emmett and Jasper were pissed. I knew that Emmett was not going to let this one lie. He would kill Jacob, given the chance.

"He said some stuff and I need to teach him a lesson." Jacob sneered again, his gaze still not leaving Edward's face. I knew that he was going to hit Edward again and I knew that I couldn't let that happen. He was already going to have a bruise and had a split lip, but really, it wasn't Edward physically I was worried about. It was Edward mentally. Who knew what effect this attack would have on him.

I looked up quickly to see Emmett running around to the side of Jacob, who was still so wrapped up in Edward beneath him, that he hadn't noticed the four new arrivals. Embry and Seth noticed Emmett's change in direction as well, and gathering what he was going to do, jumped back from Jacob just as Emmett ran full force at Jacob, throwing him off of Edward and sending him flying several feet away.

I didn't pay attention to the scuffle that was happening between the two of them, but knelt immediately next to Edward. I could see that he had obviously been unable to breath since Jacob had been kneeling on his chest as he gratefully sucked in breath after breath.

I placed my hand underneath his shoulders, between his shoulderblades and helped him up gently. Once he was sitting up I saw him look over to where Emmett and Jacob were still scuffling. I glanced at Alice who knelt down immediately and handed Edward a tissue, to wipe away the blook that was running from his split lip. I didn't look at it or allow myself to think about it, because I knew that my passing out or getting sick right now was not what Edward needed.

I was watching Edward now. Making sure that he was okay. I couldn't help but kiss his cheek. It was his uninjured one. I knew that he would have a big bruise on that cheek the next day, thanks to Jacob, and I also realised that it must be hurting him a lot. I looked around at where Emmett and Jacob were. I didn't want Emmett to hurt Jacob, not because I cared about Jacob, but because I didn't want to think about the repercussions of Emmett's actions if he did get into a fight. Though nothing would happen on the law side of things - I would ensure with Charlie that nothing would happen there - there would be repercussions throughout the family. And I couldn't let that happen, no matter how little Jacob meant to me.

The phrase "I couldn't care less" popped into mind when I thought about Jacob.

I stood up and walked over to Emmett and Jacob, lightly placing my hand on Emmett's shoulder. He looked up at me and I saw the anger in his eyes. He wanted to seriously hurt Jacob for what he'd done to Edward. As much as I wanted to let him, I couldn't. If anything did happen, and if Emmett were the one to start it, I didn't know what kind of effect that would have on Edward. I tried to tell him that with my eyes, knowing that if I said anything out loud, Edward would hear, and I didn't want him to.

He seemed to understand my meaning, because moments later he shoved Jacob's head back into the sand and stood up, walking over to where Edward was still sitting, watching the whole exchange.

He held out an arm and Edward took it. I saw his muscles tense slightly at the contact, but I knew that that gesture was involuntary. That was something that Edward wanted to get over, as he knew that it would seriously inhibit him in later life. But it would take a lot of time, and Derek had told him that he might never fully overcome his fear of contact.

I walked over to the two of them and wrapped my arms around Edward's waist, and smile up at him. He gave me a small smile in return before I turned to glare at Jacob.

"What the hell did you think you were doing Jacob?" I hissed at him as he stood up and walked over to stand in front of the six of us, probably still thinking he had a chance at winning this confrontation. _News to Jacob, you don't!_ I thought, not breaking my stare. "Well?" I snapped and he shrugged. That shrug was really going to send me off the deep end one of these days. "You think that's a good enough answer?" I knew exactly what the aim of today was. He knew that I knew as well, so I was going to dwell on it and emphasise how wrong his theory was. "You think that it's alright to hurt Edward just because you're jealous? You really think that if you hurt Edward, I'm going to come running?" I felt the anger welling in my chest as I said these sentences out loud, knowing that I was spot on with each of my accusations. His lack of response only reinforced my suspicions. "You know what Jacob, grow up!"

I put my hand on Edward's chest now, gazing up at him, showing him that I was his and his alone. Just as he was mine. I hoped that my eyes showed him how much I loved him. "Are you okay?" I whispered, before I stood up on my tiptoes pressing a lingering kiss to his jaw, knowing how much he loved it when I kissed that particular spot. I felt him nod against my lips and he moved his head so that our lips connected in a loving kiss.

As he broke our kiss I saw Edward's gaze shift to Jacob and a perplexed look flashed across his face before a small smirk broke out. I was confused as to what he was smirking about, but I understood immediately when I saw Jacob's expression. I saw that he was looking at my hand.

He had seen the ring on my finger. And he was not happy about it.

As I said before. I couldn't care less.

"What the hell is that?" He spat, glaring at Edward and then at the ring.

"This?" I snapped, holding up my hand and wiggling my fingers so that the sunlight reflected off of it, illuminating its size and obvious worth. Not that I cared about anything like that, but it was a good way to get underneath Jacob's skin. "This is an engagement ring, Jacob. Edward and I are engaged." I could tell that he was getting even more pissed off now, as his fists were clenched even tigher than before and he didn't seem to be breathing. I saw his face turn at least five different shades of red, which was something to see against his dark skin. I knew that it was probably a bad idea, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get underneath Jacob's skin even more. "What? Are you going to run off and tell my mommy about that too?" I put on a fake innocent voice that I knew would anger him even more.

"Wait, what?" I heard Emmett shout from Edward's other side.

Shit. I forgot that they didn't know that it was Jacob that had phoned my mom, telling her all the crap about Edward.

"That was you?! You told Renee about Bella and Edward!?" I couldn't help but glance at Emmett. I could see that he was about to explode. Or implode. That would have worked too. I looked at Edward and saw that he had the same expression on his face that I must have had. He looked worried about Emmett's reaction. But there was something else behind his expression as well. Somthing I couldn't quite place. "You're ruining my little brother's life because you're jealous?!"

I watched as Edward rolled his eyes and thought that this was a little bit of a weird reaction to Emmett's words. What he had said was true. It was because of Jacob's petty jealousy that I was being shipped back to Phoenix. Did he not care as much as I thought he did? I wondered if that was true. I had thought that his asking me to marry him and what had happened between us last night was enough to show him that I cared about and loved him more than anything else in the world. I wondered if he felt the same way. I watched as he went to say something to Emmett before Alice walked up beside her brother and silenced Edward with a wave of her hand. Something he did not look happy about.

"No Edward." She said, stepping forward and glaring at Jacob in the same way everyone else was. "That is what he is doing. He is effectively taking everything away from you because he can't have what he wanted. Have you ever thought, Jacob, that Bella wouldn't want to be with you, even if Edward hadn't come along? Hence the fact that she _wasn't_ with you before we moved to Forks." She had hit the nail on the head. I looked up at Edward again and saw that the anger had begun to leave his face but it was being replaced by something else. Something I couldn't quite place.

"Exactly." Rosalie snapped as she approached my other side, Jasper following closely behind her, completing the line we had been forming against Jacob. I'd noticed that Seth and Embry had stepped back, not really wanting anything to do with this. I guess that they'd found out Jacob's real reasons for his vendetta against Edward. "That should be enough to tell you that Bella _isn't interested_ and never will be. She's with Edward, so nothing you do will have any effect. And yes, they are getting married."

I felt a small smile approaching my lips as I looked away from Edward to Jacob, seeing his face form into a disbelieving mask. "And you know what?" I asked Jacob, rhetorically, hearing the anger in my own voice. "It really doesn't matter if you call Renee, because I will be eighteen when I come back, and I won't need parent's permission to marry Edward. Which is what I plan to do as soon as I return." And that is exactly what I planned to do. Nothing and nobody was ever going to stop me from marrying Edward. He was all I needed in this world. He made everything alright, again.

I looked up at Edward and saw that he wasn't really paying attention to what was happening. I zoned out, watching him. There was something serious going on in his mind. His expression kept changing in a way that I didn't like. It was the way his expression changed when he was overthinking something. The way he thought when we was worried about something.

I saw him shake his head ever so slightly, the way he did when he was trying to rid of some nagging thought that was in his mind. I wasn't really listening to what the others were saying. All I knew was that they were still throwing insults at Jacob. I thanked the fact that they were leaving Seth and Embry out of it, as they had been trying to get Jacob off of Edward before we'd gotten to the beach.

I looked back to Jacob briefly and saw that he was still glaring at the ring that rested on my finger. I didn't care about him or what he thought. All I cared about was the impact this could have on Edward.

I felt Edward remove himself from my grasp and walk towards his car slowly. "Edward?" I called to his retreating form. "Edward?" I called a little louder, following him for a few steps but not going any further. He wasn't answering me and I knew that he wanted to be alone. But why? The reason I wasn't too sure on.

"Aw, what's wrong?" Jacob asked in a mocking tone but I didn't turn around to face him. I was too interested in Edward. Even though he had made it clear that he wanted to be alone, I still wanted to run up behind him and find out what was wrong. I would try and find out later on tonight when we sorted this mess out with Jacob. "Widdle baby gone home to momma?"

"That's it!" Emmett shouted before launching himself at Jacob. I heard them start to fight behind me and I took another couple of steps towards Edward and away from the brawl that was happening behind me. I didn't want to see the two of them attacking each other. It was not on my list of things to do today. But then again, this whole little escapade hadn't been on my list of things to do today either.

As I watched him approach his car I saw Edward stop and gaze over the beach, looking at the scene that was unfolding. He was obviously taking in the fact that Emmett and Jacob were fighting behind me and I still wanting nothing more than to run up there, hug him and climb into the Volvo with him before he drove off. I didn't want him to be alone, even though I knew that he needed this time to himself.

As he got into his car and drove off I turned around to see the two of them still attacking each other. I could feel the anger bubbling up inside of me. The other five were trying to get them to stop, though none of them really had the courage to get involved physically and it was obvious that they weren't listening to anything anyone around them had to say.

To me it looked as though Emmett had the upper hand, he was bigger than Jacob was, and I knew from stories that he had also been the best wrestler on the team at his old school in Chicago. Even though he seemed to be beating Jacob I knew that he was going to be supporting some big shiners in the morning. I didn't want him to get hurt so I knew that I had to stop this. Now.

"Will you guys just STOP!" I screamed at the two of them. They both instantly stopped fighting and looked at me, shoving away from each other, with all the force they could muster. I looked at Emmett. "Emmett, do you really think that you fighting with Jacob is helping Edward? Do you really think he wants to see you fighting, or to see you get hurt? He's been living with guilt for the last ten years, and seeing you getting hurt on his behalf is only going to add to that guilt. It's not the best plan."

"I know." He said, looking at me, remorse in his eyes. Not for Jacob. I knew he didn't feel anything for Jacob at all. No. The remorse was for how he could possibly make Edward feel. Or how he could feel if Emmett got hurt. He didn't want anything to hurt his little brother, physically or mentally.

"I know you do." I whispered as I placed a hand on his arm, smiling at him reassuringly. He only meant to do good. The only trouble with Emmett was, he tended to think with his fists rather than his head. Other than that, he was as harmless as an overstuffed teddybear with a heart made of gold.

I turned to Jacob, all kindess gone. "And you!" I pointed at him, storming over to where he stood, hatred and anger dripping from my voice. "Did you really think that this little stunt was going to get me to come running? Get it into your thick skull Jacob! I. Am. Not. Interested." I emphasised each word, even though I knew that it wasn't going to have any kind of impact at all. "I love Edward, Jacob! You attacking him will not change that at all! The only thing that you attacking Edward is going to do, is make sure that I hate you even more. I didn't think that was possible after you phoned my mother and told her all those lies about Edward. You had no right to call her and tell her anything, especially all those lies. I really didn't think that I could hate you any more than I did before then, but obviously that was the wrong thing to think!" I poked him sharply in the chest. "You, Jacob Black are the lowest form of human being I have ever met. You used to be my friend. And I want _that_ Jacob back. I don't want this Jacob. _This_ Jacob," I gestured up and down his body with my hand. "Is someone I don't want to know. He is low, and degrading and to be quite frank the worst kind of person I can think of. I don't want to see you again. _Ever_. And, I don't want you to talk to my Dad either, and don't worry, he _will _be told of what has happened here today. I don't care about Billy. Billy can do whatever the hell he wants. But you, Jacob Black, are to stay the hell away from my families. Both of them. If I hear a whisper of you being anywhere near any of them. And I mean _any of them_, and yes, that does include the huge guy over there who I just stopped from kicking your ass, there will be hell to pay. Mark my words. And you know, I don't threat. I promise." I glared at him. "Now, if you don't mind," I caught myself before I finished that sentence. "Actually, I don't care if you do mind, because it's not going to stop me anyway. _I_ am going to go and comfort my fiance." I smirked at Jacob as he winced when I called Edward by that term. I knew that it would get to him. That's one of the reasons I used it.

I walked away from the group and instinctively knew that the Cullens were following me. They were calling after me as I walked away from the three Quiletes, not looking back. I didn't stop until I reached my truck. I turned around and saw four Cullens standing there behind me, grinning from ear to ear.

"Bells," Rosalie almost screeched. "That was amazing!"

"That was ace, Belly." Emmett cried. He had a nice shiner coming up on the side of his face. The same side that Edward had a bruise forming. In the morning they would probably have identical war wounds. Though it wouldn't have as big an effect on Emmett as it would on Edward.

"Come on," I said, not sharing their enthusiasm. "Let's get back to yours." They all nodded in agreement.

I had climbed into my truck, turned on the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot before they had all gotten into the Jeep. I knew they would catch up to me in no time, so I didn't worry about waiting for them. All I wanted to do was get back to Edward. I knew that he would have gone home, and retreated to his room. It was the only place he really felt safe. I just hoped that he would be willing to talk about what happened. He had seemed okay after the last encounter that we had had with Jacob, but then again, nothing physical had come of that confrontation. This time it had.

As I had guessed, Edward's Volvo was in the driveway when we got back to the Cullens. I parked the truck and ran up to the door, miraculously not tripping at all. There was something about Edward being in danger or upset that improved my balance and coordination tenfold. I shoved the key into the lock and didn't even bother to take my shoes off - something that I knew Esme would kill me for later, but at this point in time, I really didn't care - and ran up the stairs to Edward's room, the others following closely behind.

I attempted to open the door to Edward's room, but found it locked. I looked at Alice and she looked worried. He never locked his door. Apparently the last time he had was when he had tried to kill himself. I didn't even want to comprehend that idea. "Edward?" I called, hoping that he would answer the door to me. "Edward, love, open the door. Please?" There was no reply.

"Edward come on." Jasper was standing next to me. He placed a hand on the door and we listened for an answer. Any kind of movement from within. Again we got nothing.

"Edward!" Alice whined. She had silent tears flowing down her cheeks now, as did Rosalie. They were obviously thinking the worst. I knew that I should tell them to stop being so stupid and that he wouldn't do something like that again, but honestly, after seeing his face when he walked away from us at the beach, I had no idea what was going through his mind, or what he would do.

Emmett was starting to lose his cool. I could see in his eyes that he was really worried. He started banging on the door, making us all jump. "Edward! Come on! This isn't funny, man! Open up!" He yelled, giving the four of us an apologetic look for making us jump. I could hear the panic that was welling up in his voice. Obviously he was thinking the same thing that the others were.

I realised that the reason he wasn't answering could be that everyone was here, waiting for him to open the door, so they could pounce on him. Maybe it was a good idea for them to wait downstairs.

"Hey you guys," I said, turning around to voice my thoughts. "Maybe he's not answering because everyone is standing out here, ready to pounce on him. Maybe there's a better chance that he'll open the door if you guys go and wait downstairs. I know you want to know that he's okay, Emmett." I held up my hand, silencing him as he opened his mouth to protest. "But I think that he might be a little intimidated, by everyone being here. I hope that I can get him to come out. If not, then we can try one at a time." I shrugged sheepishly.

"It's a good idea Bells." Jasper whispered. "I mean, come on." He looked at his siblings. "If it wasn't for Bells, he would be in the clinic still. She was the one who managed to convince him to open up about his parents, or at least give him the courage to do so. It's because of her that he's here. It's obvious that he at least trusts her more than he does us. We should wait downstairs." He looked at me. "Do what you can to make him feel better Bells."

The others nodded at me and they walked down the stairs. I watched them go before turning back to the door. The only thing standing between me and my love. "Edward, love?" I called softly, hoping that he would answer me now that everyone else was gone. "Please open the door. I just want to know that you're alright. What happened babe? You just walked off. What's wrong? You can tell me, you know that right?" I hoped to god that he realised that.

I didn't get an answer, and that tore me up inside. It hurt to think that even after all we had been through, he couldn't trust me enough to tell me what was wrong. It was obviously something to do with what happened on the beach. I knew better than to question him though. I knew that I would never get him to come out or give me any answers that way. It had to come from his end. That was the only way that he would part with any information.

"I'm not going anywhere." I said, letting him know that I was still as stubborn as ever. As if I would let him forget. "I'm going to wait here until you talk to me." I know I had completely contradicted every thought that had just gone through my mind but it just slipped out. I had meant to say that I could wait as long as he could, but it came out wrong. I mentally cursed myself for saying that. Now he would never come out. I turned and leaned my back against his door, and slid down it, preparing to make myself comfortable, because I knew I was in for a long wait.

I didn't know how long I waited before Esme came home. I heard Rosalie and Jasper explaining to her what had happened and she came up the stairs, a small smile on her face. I could see that it was forced, but it meant that she was trying. She knelt down beside me, and rested a hand on my forehead.

"Come on sweetheart." She cooed in my ear. "We both know how stubborn Edward is. Maybe it would be best to wait for Carlisle to get home. He knows the best way of dealing with Edward when he's like this." I couldn't say that I agreed with her choice of words in that sentence but I knew what she meant. Carlisle was a lot better adept at looking after Edward when he was like this. "Come on. Let's get some dinner."

I nodded and allowed her to help me up. I warned Edward that I would be back later, again with no response and followed Esme down the stairs, stretching out my cramped legs.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, the others looked at me and I shook my head, telling them that I hadn't had any response from Edward at all. This was something that worried me, because normally, he was able to talk to me, no matter what the problem was. We didn't have any secrets. Hell, he even knew about the job I had when I was fifteen. When I had to dress up as a penguin, doing a stupid walk and handing out balloons to kids at the park. And nobody here, and I mean _nobody_ other than Edward knew about that. That was one of my most closely guarded secrets.

I helped Esme made dinner, even though it wasn't anything overly complicated. Chicken noodles. It was something that kept my hands busy, and I could tell that Esme was glad for the company. She was glance at me and smile every now and then. It was nice. She was the understanding mother that I wished Renee was. If only I could get her to see the real Edward. Well, not the Edward that was locked up in his bedroom now, because that certainly wouldn't help our case, but the Edward that was normally so strong and willful. The Edward that I love and the Edward that I knew Renee would love, if only she gave him the chance. But now, thanks to Jacob, we would never get that chance.

Carlisle arrived home just as Esme and I were draining off the noodles and finishing the sauce. The others all pounced on Carlisle, telling him what had happened that day, and how Edward was locked in his room and hadn't answered to anyone, not even me. He told them to stay in the living room after they had finished explaining and he entered the kitchen with a grave and worried look on his face.

"What should we do?" Esme asked him, and he sighed.

"I'm going to go and talk to him. Or at least try to talk to him." He ran a hand through his hair. Maybe he was also to blame for my picking up that habit. "I'm going to take a bowl of noodles up for him as well." He had spotted what was for dinner and went to get a bowl out of the cupboard. "I know I'm breaking the rule but, if it gets him to eat I don't really care. I can't imagine that he's up for eating with everyone else tonight." I nodded knowing what he meant. Edward could become very self-conscious, very easily and it was best not to push him when he was like that. If he was self-conscious then it would be best for just him and I to eat on our own, as he was used to me being in the room when he ate. Something that was left over from the clinic I guessed. He could switch so easily, it was hard to keep track sometimes.

After serving out a portion of the noodles and chicken sauce into a bowl, Carlisle grabbed some cutlery and went upstairs to talk to Edward. I knew that he had a key to get into Edward's room, just in case something like this did happen, and it was needed. He and Esme had one each, as well as Edward. Though they had them, they only used them when it was necessary. And this was the first time Carlisle had had to use his.

We waited for about five or ten minutes before we heard a door slam and lock and Carlisle reappeared downstairs. I stood up guessing that it hadn't gone too well with Edward.

"Honey, what happened?" Esme asked as we all approached Carlisle. He shook his head, solemnly.

"He told me that he feels he's being smothered. Like he doesn't have any freedom. And it's true. He doesn't." He looked at us. "Like you kids today. He was grateful that you got Jacob away from him, but he also felt that you could have left it from there. He says he feels like you're always fighting his battles for him, and that he doesn't feel like he's accessing the independence part of his recovery." He sighed and looked at Esme. "Maybe we need to tone it down a little." She nodded.

I was confused. "Wait, what do you mean tone it down a little?" I chuckled darkly as I realised what they meant. "You guys are still doing the whole "watching him" thing, aren't you?" Nobody answered me. "Did you really think that he wasn't going to figure it out?"

"No, I knew that he would. But I'd hoped that we would be able to tone it down naturally until then." Carlisle sighed again. "We were only watching him like before to make sure that he was okay. We didn't want him to feel like he was being watched."

"Well," Esme sighed, fiddling with Carlisle's tie. "At least he has something to eat, right? I mean, the noodles."

Carlisle shook his head. "No. He accused me, saying that the only thing I cared about was whether or not he ate. He told me he didn't want anything to eat and threw it on the floor. He refused to eat it. I don't know what we're going to do." He sighed again. I could see him starting to worry now. This could be really bad for Edward. And the rest of the family.

"Can't we just wait until he's hungry?" Emmett asked, hopefully. "I mean, when he is he'll come down right?"

"Emmett," I replied softly. "You're talking about someone who has ten years practise at self-starvation. He's not going to be broken by a couple of hours of "being hungry". It doesn't work like that." I could see the despair growing in his face. It was the same look as that that was present in his parents and his siblings faces. I was also sure that it was present in mine as well. We all knew what had happened here.

Edward had taken a step backwards.

**Will Edward snap out of it?  
You'll have to read the next chapter to find out.  
I know there was quite a lot of an overlay in this chapter with the previous one, but I wanted to get the beach scene from Bella's POV as well as Edward's.  
Hope you enjoyed :D  
Please review  
xx**


	20. Contemplations

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Okay I had serious writer's block with this chapter, so if it doesn't flow then I apologise.**

**EPOV**

I know I was being childish. That the best way to deal with what had happened today by talking to my family. But I just couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to talk to them. I don't know what it was. Maybe it was the fact that I was feeling humiliated, suffocated, misunderstood, hurt, and some part of me was scared as well. I didn't know why I was scared, because there wasn't really anything to be _scared_ scared about. I could just feel it in my heart.

Oh, and not to mention the fact that the depression I had spent the last eight months trying to squash was trying to resurface.

Everything that I had been working for during therapy and my time at the clinic.....there was a chance that everything that I had been working for could be wiped out. I had worked so hard. It was harder than I had let on, to let go of all that pain that I had felt. I hadn't even let on to Bella how hard it was and how much it hurt for me to do this. I had known that it was going to be hard, but I hadn't thought that I would be feeling this bad.

I made a good show of putting on a front to everyone around me. Hell, I had spent such a long time pretending to everyone around me that I was okay, it wasn't that hard to do. For the most part anyway. Bella had come so close a couple of times to figuring out that I wasn't okay. Even though she would never say anything, at least not outright, she would always wait for me to make the first move. To speak first. But I could see in her eyes that she knew that something was wrong. Like today at the beach. She knew that something wasn't okay with me. I could tell by the way she was looking at me while the others were yelling at Jacob.

That girl - _my_ girl - was to intuitive for her own good. She knew too much and she saw too much. On some level, when I was in the clinic, I welcomed it, but now that I was out, I didn't. I didn't want anyone to be able to figure out what I was feeling. Somehow in the clinic, it felt and seemed okay for people to be inside my head, and yet now that I was out of there, it felt only natural for me to close myself off from people again. Just like before.

Except I didn't think in the same way that I did before the clinic. Yes, I wanted to close myself off from people, but I didn't have the same self-destructive thoughts that were always running through my head before. I didn't feel the need to hurt myself like I did before. So something must have worked in there. Spending time in that place must have done at least _some_ good.

The only thing that I couldn't help but think was that it wasn't only my mind that was to blame for my change in thought and behaviour. I couldn't help wondering if it was the doing of my mind at all. All I could think was that it was the medication that I was forced to swallow every day.

I know that something wasn't right in my own head.

It was like something was shielding my thought patterns. Shielding my mind from what it really wants to realise. Kind of like I was wrapped in cotton wool or something. I didn't know what to think.

Was it really me?

Or was it the medication that was sat down in the kitchen?

Letting my mind mill over what was going through it, I sat back on my bed after Carlisle left and stared out the window. I didn't know what else to do. I knew that I should clear up the noodles on my floor. I knew that I should have _eaten_ the noodles instead of throwing them on the floor. But the only problem is, I didn't regret doing it. Something in me was trying to overthrow what I have been working for for the last eight months. Something in my mind was rejecting all the time and money that had been put into my recovery. My time. Carlisle's time and money. Derek's time.

And most importantly Bella's time. She had put her life on hold just to make sure that I was okay. She had put her trust in me and I was letting her down. I couldn't handle letting her down. I didn't know what it was. Something inside of me was able to put my family through the pain that I had, but there was something else that wasn't able to hurt Bella in that same way. I didn't know what to do. There was something in my head that was pleading with me to try, to at least make the effort to be okay. And yet there was another side to me that was screaming at me to just let everything go. To stop trying. To forget everything that they had told me in the clinic and therapy sessions since.

And I didn't know which one to listen to.

Both were overpowering me. I felt like I was being wrenched in all different directions. Not just in my head but in my heart.

All I needed was a sign. Something to tell me what I was supposed to do.

Lying on my bed I continued to stare out of the window, watching as the light left the sky and twilight set in. The saddest part of the day. The time of day that is neither night nor day, light nor dark. Something that I didn't really understand. It signified the end. And for me, it always signified the end of another chapter of my life. A life that was not uneventful.

Oh, how I wished that I had an uninteresting, simple life. It was something that I had wished for since I had lost my parents.

Nobody bothered me. Not at all. Obviously it was something that Carlisle had told them. I was in some way grateful for him for doing that, as I wasn't really in the mood for company at the moment.

I only wanted to see one person at the moment. And I didn't even know if she wanted to see me. I knew that I had hurt her. I knew that she was probably feeling betrayed and rejected by the fact that I didn't want to talk to her earlier today. And I didn't know how to make that better. I didn't know how to tell her that I was sorry, that I wished I could take it all back.

I heard light footsteps coming up the stairs, someone creeping up them, not wanting to be found out by the others downstairs. I knew immediately from the slight shuffling of the feet on the stairs that it was Bella. I smiled at the idea of her creeping up the stairs to come see me. I rolled off of my bed gently and padded over to my door, listening to them creeping closer. I could hear them stopping every so often, obviously checking to see if she had been discovered and if anyone was following her up the stairs.

I slowly and quietly unlocked it before moving back onto my bed. I wanted her and only her to come into my room. I knew that she wouldn't judge me. She never would. All she wanted to do was try to understand me.

I lay on my bed, facing away from the door. I didn't want her to see me like this. As I lay down I felt tears welling in my eyes, beginning to spill down my face.

I heard my the handle on my door twist slowly and the door pushed open gently. I heard it creak as it opened ever so slowly and I heard Bella padding into my room quietly and gently.

"Edward?" She whispered as she closed my door, locking it behind her. I silently thanked her for doing that, as I didn't want anyone else to interrupt us. Even if this isn't the best conversation that we've ever had, i still want it to be between just me and Bella. Nobody else. "Edward, love?" I heard her quietly making her way over to my bed. "Edward, baby, talk to me. Are you okay?"

I didn't raise my head or turn over but I shook my head slightly and I heard her sigh behind me. I felt the bed drop as she sat down tentatively on the edge of it. She shuffled over to me and placed a hand on my arm. I had thought that maybe I wouldn't want to have anyone touch me, even her, after my revelation today, but to my surprise I didn't react in the way I normally did with everyone else. I reacted the same way that I did with Bella.

Nothing happened.

I sighed as she lay down next to me. She pressed herself into me and kissed the back of my neck gently. I rolled over and buried my head into her shoulder and she ran her hand through my hair, kissing my temple gently.

"It's okay," She whispered softly in my ear. "It's okay, baby. It's alright." She wrapped her arms around me, sliding one of them underneath me and resting one of her hands between my shoulderblades and the other one began making small circles on the bottom of my back.

"I don't know." I whispered back and she began rocking gently. She

"What happened today, baby?" She breathed to me. "Tell me."

"I don't know." I whispered again. The tears were falling down my face more freely now as she continued to try to soothe me. "I don't know what happened."

"Carlisle told us what you said." She admitted softly. "He told us that you're feeling smothered and watched all the time. Is that true?" I nodded slowly, pulling me head back so I could look at her. She pushed a few strands of hair out of my eyes and sighed gently. "Tell me."

"It feels....like....it did when i came out of the hospital when I...." I paused, not really knowing how to explain it to her properly. She nodded gently, showing that she knew the time I was talking about. "After I came out, it was like, I don't know....um....kind of....I don't know how to explain." I thought for a moment. "You've read the book 1984, right?" She nodded looking slightly confused. "Well...you know the phrase "Big Brother Is Watching You"?" She nodded again, the look of confusion still on her face. "That's what it felt like when I came out. I was always being watched. I wasn't ever left alone. The only time I was alone was when I was in my room and even then, I would close my door and then moments later, someone would open it again. It was like I couldn't ever get a moments peace and I ..... I just feel....like that's what happening again. I don't know...." I sighed.

"You feel like they don't trust you?" I looked her in the eye and nodded.

"How can I not feel that way?" I sighed. "I realised it on the way home from the beach. I'm never on my own. The only time I am is when I'm asleep or in the bathroom. I mean, Esme's even working from home now. And don't say its because she worried about me. It's because they think that I'm going to do something to hurt myself again. And....I just feel like....there's never going to be a time when they _do_ trust me, you know?"

"I trust you." She whispered, kissing me gently on the forehead.

"I know you do." I gave her a small smile. "But it's like nobody else does." I sighed again, not looking her in the eye. "It's like, they don't trust me to make my own decisions at all. Like....today at the beach. Yeah, I appreciate that you all came and prevented me from being completely smooshed my Jacob, but, it's like....I could have handled it by myself after, but...I was never given a chance. Like, I'm never given the chance to do anything on my own. Ever."

"Oh, baby." She cooed at me, but I could tell that she wasn't trying to be patronising. It was just how she was with me. "Everyone was just trying to help you."

"I know," I took a deep breath. "I know. I know that everyone just wants to help me, but....I need to learn to help myself." I looked up into her eyes. "And, I feel like there isn't a way for me to do that at the moment. I feel like....I can't .... breathe. At least not without someone watching me, judging what I'm going to do. Waiting for me to screw up in some way. Which I've already done!"

"What do you mean?" She asked, her deep chocolate eyes boring into mine. "How have you screwed up?"

"I know Carlisle told you about what happened when he came up here." I whispered, looking away from her gaze.

"Yeah, he did." She admitted, trying to brush those few stubborn strands of hair out of my eyes. "He told us about what you did. But I know....I know that was just your anger talking."

"That's the point." I sobbed, tears flowing freely again. "I don't think that it was."

"What do you mean?" She began to look worried now and I hesitated in telling her what I meant. I hadn't meant for that to slip out and I knew, now that it had, she wasn't going to let it drop. That familiar stubborn look in her eyes took hold as she looked at me. "Edward." She said sternly, holding my face in place with her hands, making it so that I couldn't look away from her. "What. Do. You. Mean?" She hadn't ever used that tone with me before. The only one I had heard her use that tone with was Jacob. Before her anger got the better of her that is. "Tell me."

I closed my eyes and gulped audibly. I was in for it now.

I didn't know how to tell her what I had meant. I didn't know how to put it into words.

"I...." I took a deep breath. "It sometimes...feels....like it's not really me....making the decisions." I opened my eyes to find a perplexed look on her face. "Like....there are two sides of me. One telling me to keep fighting, to.....to keep working, and that if I do, it'll all be okay, you know? But....but then....there's another side to me that just keeps telling me to give up. That there's no point to anything any more. That...that it doesn't matter how hard I fight....I'll never win, so I might as well give up." I looked away from her again, which was hard to do seeing as she still had my head trapped. "And....and I don't know which side to listen to." I whispered.

"Yes, you do." She told me firmly. "You _do_ know which side to listen to." She shook my head lightly, telling me she wanted me to look at her while she spoke. "You listen to the side that tells you to keep fighting. You know that."

"Do I?" I questioned her. "I mean, it's like....I don't know...it feels like, whenever I make a decision, it's not fully me. It's like I don't really know how I feel."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know." I admitted. Do I tell her about my worries about the medication? The look in her eyes told me that she wasn't going to let me go until I gave her an answer she was happy with. And I knew with Bella and myself at odds with each other, even under circumstances such as these, that that could be a long time from now. "Sometimes I think that....somehow...its not me really thinking...but it seems like it could be...the medication. I don't know." She looked at me even more confused than usual.

"What do you mean the medication?" She asked me, even more confused.

"It's like...I'm wrapped in cotton wool or something, and I can't feel anything and that I'm not aware of anything that's happening around me. I can't help thinking that something....else....is kind of um.....influencing the way that I'm thinking you know? Like, there's something else, inside my head."

"Sssh, baby. It's okay." She pulled my head to her chest and kissed my temple lovingly.

This was the only stability that I had known since coming to Forks. She was the one thing that had been there for me. I didn't know what Id do if she disappeared. And yet, she was disappearing. She was leaving me. Even though it was forced, she was leaving.

And the worst part was I didn't really know how I felt about it. I know that I should be feeling down and low, depressed even. But I wasn't. At the moment at least. Maybe it just hadn't sunk in yet.

With this thought in mind I drifted into an uneasy sleep, Bella rocking and whispering that it was going to be okay in my ear.

At least being here with her, I didn't have to worry about her leaving or about what was waiting for me when I woke up and had to face my family. All I knew was that she was there, with me. And I didn't have to think about anything other than breathing in her sweet scent and listening to her soothing voice.

Everything else could wait for another day.

**I'm not really happy with this chapter.  
I had serious writer's block when I wrote this and to me it doesn't seem to flow properly.  
Please review and tell me what you think.  
There's a chance that I could go back and change it, when my mind is oiled and revolving properly.  
Lemme know.  
xx**


	21. Letting It Out

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**I just want to say thanks for all the positive comments for the last chapter. I had serious writers' block while writing it, so all of your comments really made it worth the while. And...because of those comments, I'm not going to change it. A lot of people have said that it fits in with Edward's perspective and how his mind is functioning at that point in time. And though I know I won't be happy with that chapter, I'm going to go with the readers' opinions, because, that's why I'm writing this story. For you guys to read. Thanks peeps.**

**EPOV**

I woke up the next day with my head still nuzzled into Bella's shoulder, and I breathed in her sweet scent, smiling into her hair, savouring it while it lasted.

I laid there for a moment, thinking over what happened the previous night, not really believing that it had happened.

I had acted like a child yesterday. I knew that I should have handled it better than I did, but nothing that went through my head was making any sense at all. In looking back, I could see that what I had done was wrong. I should have spoken to my family about what I was feeling and thinking, but something inside of me told me that I couldn't do that. That they would judge me even more than they already did, that the leash they had me on - even if I hadn't realised it was there until only yesterday - would be wound even tighter as they made me believe that they were only concerned about my welfare and not scared shitless that I was going to do something to hurt myself again.

Truth be told, I _hadn't_ thought about hurting myself. Not in the way that I had done before the clinic. I still hadn't come to the conclusion of whether it was my mind or the medication that was bringing that to life. I didn't know. And something told me that I wasn't ever going to find out. I was always going to be on some form of anti-depressant. Whether it was strong, as it was now, or milder as I got further and further into my recovery, there would always be some sort of pill in my future, sitting there in its bottle, waiting to cloud my mind and shield me from my own emotions.

Again, there was another force that was controlling me.

I was beginning to think - again - that I wouldn't ever have complete control over my life. There would always be something else there, something taking the control away from me. Telling me what to do, what to think and what to feel.

The only one that let me think and feel for myself had her arms wrapped around me. She knew. She knew that if I was to really recover, and stop these thoughts that were forming inside my mind, that I would have to be let alone to figure them out for myself. She never bugged me about anything, other than last night, when she knew that there was something I needed to talk about, and yet, given the choice, wouldn't. She knew when to leave me be and when to push for answers. She always seemed to know what buttons to push, in what sequence and when to push them.

Even though I knew it was her, pushing those buttons, it never felt like it was. That was the beauty of Bella. She made me feel as though it was all my doing. On some level I was thankful of that. She knew that I needed to feel in control, even if on some level I wasn't. She never let on that she was doing this on purpose, because she knew what it was that I needed. She knew the things I needed to talk about most, and when to talk about them.

I thanked the world every day for Bella.

She was my saviour.

She stirred next to me and her eyes fluttered open. I watched as her eyes focused, looking deep into mine as they always did, boring into my soul and a small smile formed on her face.

"Morning, baby." She whispered softly.

"Morning, love." I whispered back as I ran my hand through her hair gently.

"Are you okay?" She asked gently, as she brushed those stubborn hairs out of my eyes, failing miserably. I didn't know. _Was_ I okay? I honestly didn't know the answer to that question. I knew that she wouldn't believe me if I told her that I was.

"I don't know." I whispered and her face fell ever so slightly. "After everything that happened yesterday, I just don't know."

"Oh baby." She gently brushed the backs of her fingers against my cheek before pressing her palm to my face. "It'll be okay."

"How do you know?" I looked into her eyes and tried searching for some kind of answer within them. I didn't find anything in there that I could use. I closed my eyes slowly and sighed, pressing my face into her palm.

"Because I know you." She said stubbornly, shaking my face ever so slightly, making me open my eyes again. "And I know that you won't give up. Not without a fight that is. I know that you, Edward Cullen, won't go down without a fight, and do you know how I know that?" I shook my head as much as I could with her hand still in place on my face. "Because I believe in you. I know it sounds corny, but it's true." I choked out a sob-like-laugh, doing the best I could to keep the tears from falling again and she grinned at me. "I know that you can do anything when you put your mind to it. You know why?" I shook my head again. "Because....you," She touched the end of my nose. "Are one of the stubbornist asses I know." She giggled as she pressed her lips to mine and I felt a small smile cross my face.

"I hope so." I whispered.

She kissed my forehead and began running her hand through my hair again. "You know," She mumbled against my forehead. "You have to talk to your family." I pulled my head away from her, sure that the panic and pain was clear in my eyes and expression. "They're really worried about you."

I sighed gently. "I know. I just don't know how to face them again." I bit my bottom lip, a habit that I had involuntarily picked up from Bella.

"You're strong enough to." She whispered reassuringly. "I know you are."

She smiled at me and I gave her a small smile back.

Something clicked just then. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school." She grinned and shook her head. "How come?"

"I'm not going today." She said smugly. "I'm staying here. With you."

"Bella." I moaned. I hated when she did this. She was giving up what she needed for me. _Again._ And I hated when she did that. "You can't do that. Your schoolwork is important. You know that." I sighed again, closing my eyes. "You need to go to school."

"Not a chance." She said, stubbornly. I hated when she used this tone. It meant that there was no way that she was going to listen to anything that I was going to say. I knew that tone well. It was one I had used many many times before. "I'm not going anywhere today, Edward. I know my schoolwork is important, but I can catch up on schoolwork, but you." She poked my nose again, a little harder than before. "You are more important to me. I know you don't want to talk about it, but I am leaving soon. I don't have a choice. I can't help but think that that has something to do with how you're feeling now."

I looked her in the eyes, astonished at how she could think that. "No!" I almost yelled. "No. It has nothing to do with that." She didn't look me in the eyes. I pulled her hand away from my face and put my finger underneath her chin, bringing her head and her eyes to look at me. "No, Bella. I know how you want to blame yourself. I know because it's something that I've been doing for a long time."

The face that she gave me let me know that nothing I was going to say was going to change her mind, so I let it drop. For now. She knew that I wasn't happy about her ditching school so that she could sit and mollycoddle me. I hated it actually.

I didn't want her grades to slip because of me. I didn't want her future to disappear or at least be severely altered by her wanting to look after me all the time. If there was any way to make me feeling like a burden, that was the way.

"Come on," She said, suddenly, sitting up abruptly. "Let's get you some breakfast."

"I'm not hungry." I said quietly, not looking at her.

"Even if you weren't lying I wouldn't care." She said smugly, taking hold of my chin and turning my head so I had to look up at her. "You need to eat. You've come too far to let everything slip away so easily." I sighed. "Sigh at me all you want. You're eating breakfast mister." She poked me in the chest lightly and I had to smile at her attempt at being menacing. It really didn't work. All that happened was that she pouted at it made her look even cuter than she already did. I rolled my eyes at her and chuckled at her. "No eye rolling either." My smile fell off my face and I pouted at her. She grinned and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. "Don't worry. I know that the others haven't left yet, so I'll go down and make you some breakfast. I'll convince Carlisle to let you eat it up here." She stood up and turned back around to face me. "With my supervision of course." She grinned at me with a subtle glint in her eye. I knew that she wouldn't really "supervise me" as she'd put it. It was just something that she would tell Carlisle, so that he would allow me to eat away from the gaze of my family. Something that she would be able to do easily. Hell, she had every member of my family wrapped around her little finger. They would do anything she asked them to do.

I knew that it was because of me that they trusted and loved her so much. It was because of all the help that she'd given me. I feared that I would never be able to pay her back for all of her kindness and her love. But I would work on it for as long as she would let and would love me.

As I waited for her to come back up I laid back on my bed and dozed. I didn't let any substantial run through my head, as I knew that anything like that would cause me to overthink and panic about what was going on around me. Something I really didn't want at the moment.

I heard her shuffling back up the stairs and I watched as the door handle jiggled slightly as she struggled with. She must have been successful in getting Carlisle to agree to us, or me at least, to eat up here.

I watched her open the door and saw that she had a tray balanced on her arm. She looked up at me and smiled, that beautiful blush that I loved so much creeping up her cheeks. She looked down as if to concentrate on what she was doing but I knew her too well so I knew that she was really avoiding eye contact with me. I knew that if she maintained eye contact then she would get even more embarrassed and probably end up tripping and adding even more food to the noodles that were already on the floor.

She locked the door again, and laid the tray down on my bed. I sat up and looked at what she had brought up, smiling as I did so.

She had made oatmeal. One of my safe foods since I came out of the clinic. When in the clinic they had worked with me to create a list of foods that I considered "safe" for times like these. Times when I wasn't feeling so strong, but I knew that I needed to eat. Oatmeal was one of these foods. Seeing as it was the first thing I had really eaten in the clinic, it seemed only fitting to me. Bella seemed to agree. She smiled at me as she saw that I was smiling at her choice of breakfast.

"Oatmeal." She said, softly. "One of your safe foods." I nodded gently.

She picked up the bowls and handed one of them to me. I noticed that she had made herself a bowl as well and she sat back on the pillows next to me and began her breakfast. I played with mine for a moment before she gave me a pointed look and I smiled at her. I knew that I had to eat, so I slowly began to eat it.

For some reason it felt like I was back at the clinic again. Not because Bella was here with me, but something in my mind was telling me that I shouldn't be eating like this. That I should be fighting the hunger that was building inside of me, and to fight my instincts and refuse the food.

I looked down at the tray and saw that there was also a glass of water, a white pill and a cup of coffee that I knew would be for Bella as whilst I was on the level of medication I was on now I wasn't allowed any concentrated caffiene or alcohol.

I finished my bowl of oatmeal just as Bella was starting on her coffee and I placed it back down on the tray. I picked up the glass of water and the pill and swallowed it easily, draining half of the glass as I did so. I saw Bella smiling at me and I smiled back. If any of my family had smiled at me like that after taking my medication I know that I would have seen it as being patronising. But when Bella smiled at me like that, all I felt was reassurance.

After she cleared away the breakfast things, not allowing me to help in any way, we settled back onto my bed. I know I should have been a little peeved at the fact that she wouldn't let me help, but then again it was just Bella being Bella. She probably wouldn't have let me do anything even if I was feeling alright.

Before I knew it I had dozed off into a restful sleep. It was dreamless, something that I always used to be thankful for, as my sleeps were always plagued with memories of that fateful day. The day that changed my life forever.

But recently, my dreams had been full of images of Bella. From her smile to her scent to the feel of her hair between my fingers and the taste of her lips as she kissed me.

I woke up to find that Bella wasn't lying next to me. I sat up sharply, remembering that she had been there when I had fallen asleep, and looked around. I saw that the bowl of noodles that had been on the floor when I went to sleep had been cleared up and the breakfast stuff was missing.

I heard people talking downstairs and looking at the clock that rested on my bedside table I saw that it was 5:17PM. I had slept through most of the day. It seemed that all I did was sleep nowadays. Maybe, on some level my body was trying to make up for almost a decade of insomnia due to starvation in these past few weeks. I hated sleeping so much, knowing that I was so out of it all the time. I turned over and rolled off of the bed, walking over to my couch. I sat down and picked up the book that was resting there. It was Bella's old, beaten up copy of Wuthering Heights. I picked it up and started to read the passage that she had been reading.

After about twenty minutes or so, I heard the familiar shuffling outside my door and it began to open slowly. The door flew open suddenly, scaring the hell out of me in doing so. She had obviously noticed that I was not on the bed, as she had no doubt left me. The couch that I was sat on couldn't be seen from the door, so she would have no idea of where I was.

"Edward?!" She called out to me, a slight panic in her voice. "Edward, where are you?"

"On the couch." I called back, putting down her book as she came into view, properly. She saw me sitting there in front of her and a look of relief flew across her face. "Is everything okay?" I asked her, feeling my brow furrowing.

"Yeah," She sighed. I held my arms out to her, motioning for her to come and join me. A smile began to creep onto her face as she walked over to sit next to me. She looked at what I was reading a look of confusion spread across her face. She held it up to me. "Explain."

I shrugged. "I don't know." I told her honestly. "I guess I wanted to see what caused you read that book over and over again."

"Did you find it?" She asked, placing the book back onto the sofa next to her.

I pretended to think for a moment and shook my head. "Nope." I said, popping the "p".

She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed. I kissed the top of her head and sighed along with her. I could have stayed that way forever. Just her and me, sat here. No one else to bother us.

It was as if no one else existed.

/////////////////////

I woke up the next day with Bella lying next to me again. This time she was the first one awake. I smiled slightly as I saw her beautiful brown eyes watching me as strands of her long deep brown hair fell across her face. I sighed, brushing them away and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Morning." I whispered against her lips, feeling her smile.

"Morning, gorgeous." I sighed. I didn't like her saying things like that, especially as I thought that they weren't true. I don't know what it was. I knew that I was good-looking, on some level at least, but I in my mind, terms such as "gorgeous" and "beautiful" were earmarked for people who didn't have pasts such as mine. For those who weren't covered in scars and reminders of what they had been, of how they had felt. Of how low they had been previously, that they had felt it right to leave permenant reminders on their bodies. In my mind, I was definitely _not_ gorgeous. "Don't forget. You have that meeting with the therapist today."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Great." I said, sarcastically. "Another pair of eyes on me."

"Hey, come on." She tapped me lightly on the shoulder. "I know that you don't like these sessions and everything, but... today might be a good time to tell the rest of your family what you told me the other night." I bit my lip unconsciously and she grinned at me.

"What?" I asked her confused.

"You're biting your lip." She said, running her finger gently across my bottom lip. "It's cute."

"Yeah well." I sighed smiling at her. "I must have picked it up from you." She nodded and grinned at me again. I looked into her eyes and saw them twinkling back at me. She told me that she hated her eyes. That she thought they were dull and flat, and looking into them at this point in time, I had no idea what she was talking about. I could easily get myself lost in them forever. They were deep and bottomless. "Will you be there today?"

"If you want me there."

"Of course I want you there." I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer to me. "I will always want you there."

"Good." She sighed, leaning her head on my chest. "Because I will always be there."

"Apart from, you won't." I whispered, in a volume that was barely audible to myself, and yet somehow she heard me.

"What?" She asked, although her tone suggested that she heard what I had said loud and clear.

"Nothing." I lied. I didn't want her to know my fears about what was going to happen at the end of the summer. I didn't want to burden her with that. I knew that it wasn't her fault that she had to go. It was her mother's and Jacob's fault.

She told me that she wasn't going to go to school today either and I put up more of a fight than I did yesterday. She point blank refused to go. I told her that her staying home from school wasn't helping me, it was just aggravating me because I knew that she should be in school, working towards getting the best grades she could.

I ended up losing that argument. As she knew that I would. There was no changing her mind when she got like this. She was too much like me than I was happy with.

Even though I lost that fight, it didn't mean that I stopped pestering her about it all day.

"Edward," She moaned, for the fiftieth time today, as we walked up the stairs to my bedroom. We had spent the day lounging around downstairs, watching TV and not really doing much, but she appreciated and complied when I said that I really didn't want to be downstairs when my family got home. She, as well as I, knew that there would be a lot of questions from them and I didn't want to face them until we had to sit through the session this afternoon. At least then, Chris, the therapist that I saw outside of the clinic would be there to act as a mediator. "Look, it's was 3:15. School is almost out so there's really no point in carrying on, okay?"

"No." I protested, yet again. "It's not okay." I stopped on the landing and she stopped as well, turning to face me. "Look, you know how much I hate you missing out on school. I mean, it's almost the end of the year. You have exams and stuff and you can't afford to take any more time off than you already have. Especially because of me."

"Look," She walked up to me and put a hand on either side of my face. "I want to spend time with you. I want to be by your side forever. That," She kissed the end of my nose gently. "Is why I agreed to marry you."

I sighed, looking her in the eye. "You're not taking any more time off school." I told her sternly and she rolled her eyes at me. "No, Bella, love. I don't want you taking any more time off. Promise me." I held her gaze. "Promise me."

"Alright." She conceeded. "I promise. Now, will you drop it?"

"Alright." I agreed. "For now."

She gave me an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes and turning around. I grinned and I knew that I had won that argument. I followed her to my room and closed the door behind me as I watched her flop down on my bed, pouting. She held her arms out to me and I sat down on my bed, melting into her embrace. She was all I needed to feel safe. She was always there. If she was there then I could get through anything. Which again made me think about what was going to happen when she had to leave. I didn't want to think about it, but I knew that it was going to happen, and I couldn't switch it off. It was something that was always there in the back of my mind.

We sat there and talked about nothing in particular. Making jokes at Emmett's expense and making fun of Alice's shopping habits. She enjoyed forcing Bella to go shopping with her, even though Bella hated it with a passion. I think that on some level, Alice was trying to turn her into a clone of her own pixie self.

A light knock on the door told us that everyone was home. I called for whoever it was to come in. It was Esme.

"Edward, dear." She smiled at Bella and I. "Bella. Chris is here." I nodded and she smiled at us again, walking out of the room, closing the door.

I looked at Bella and sighed. "You ready?"

"Honestly?" She nodded. "I don't know. But I guess I won't know until I try it will I?" She shook her head. She climbed over me and pulled me up off of the bed.

"Let's go." She said, pulling me into a reassuring kiss.

We walked down the stairs slowly and saw the others standing around in the kitchen and foyer. I saw the therapist that I had been seeing since I'd left the clinic. I wasn't sure how much I liked him. I preferred Derek, but that might be because I had grown to know him and he had helped me through a lot of problems while in there. I guess I just hadn't given Chris a chance, but I would. Maybe he would surprise me.

I walked hand in hand with Bella into the living room and sat down on one of the sofas with everyone following behind us. They all sat down on the sofas, chairs and Alice sat on the floor at Esme's feet, leaning her head on her mother's lap. Chris sat on the chair in front of me, giving me a small smile. I smiled back at him.

"Hello Edward." He said in a calm voice.

"Hi Chris." I replied, feeling Bella give my hand a small squeeze.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

"Um, okay, I guess." I replied, not looking at him and nodding my head. "The last couple of days have been a bit rough but...."

"What do you mean?" He asked whilst writing that down. "What's happened in the last couple of days?"

"Um, we've kind of had a couple of problems." I told him. I knew I was being vague, but I really didn't know how to approach the subject of Jacob.

"Within the family?" He asked, looking around.

"No." Jasper piped up. "There's someone else giving us, well mainly Bella and Edward a bit of hassle."

"What kind of hassle?"

"Well," Rosalie answered quietly. "He's got a problem with their relationship. He's jealous. Basically he like Bella-"

" "Likes" is a bit of an understatement, don't you think Rose?" Alice chimed in from the floor.

"Well, I guess so." She admitted. "He's pretty much in love with Bella, and he hates the fact that she's with Edward."

"Why do you think this is?" He looked at me again.

I shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I think he's kind of got the whole "if I can't have her, nobody can" complex going on."

"And how is that affecting the two of you?" He gestured between Bella and I. "I mean your relationship."

"Honestly, it's not." I replied. Because it wasn't. Because of Jacob the two of us were closer than ever. We were engaged for christ's sake. I mean it probably would have happened later on, but having all of this drama going on with Jacob made us realise how much we cared for each other even more than we had before. If that was even possible.

"It hasn't affected it in any way at all?" He sounded skeptical.

"Well, you guys can't really say that." Emmett said, smugly. Chris turned to look at him, with his eyebrows raised, silently telling him to carry on. "Well, you guys _are_ engaged, aren't you?"

"Yes, thank you for that Emmett." Bella said, through gritted teeth. A small smile played on Chris's lips.

"And when did this happen?" He asked us.

"A couple of days ago." I answered honestly.

"But we knew that it was going to happen long before now." Esme said, smiling softly. "I mean, if you could see the way that they are around each other, then you'd know." She said that with love and adoration in her voice, as well as pride and joy. I looked down at Bella, just as she gazed up at me and smiled. I couldn't help but smile back as she pressed a small kiss to my jaw.

"Oh, but I can see," I looked back up at Chris and he gestured between the two of us. "What you two feel for each other is evident through even the smallest of gestures. Even like the one that ust happened. Just the gaze and the kiss that Bella just gave Edward. I can see the chemistry between the two of you." He made a note on the paper on his knee. "Normally, getting into a relationship such as this would be frowned upon, especially since Edward has only been out of the clinic for a few weeks. But, considering what I've heard from the clinic, this relationship is probably best for Edward and his stability." I frowned slightly at this comment. "There's no need to look at me like that Edward." I furrowed my brow at him slightly amd he smiled at me. "I know you're probably wondering how I can say that right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Well, from what I've heard and read about your time in the clinic, Bella was a huge benefit to your recovery. She gave you something to work for, and now that you're out, your relationship with Bella acts as a foundation for your recovery process. You understand?" I nodded, biting my bottom lip. "Is there a problem?" He looked around the room at my family. I followed his gaze and saw that the others were looking nervous and not looking at him.

"Um," Emmett spoke quietly, which was unusual for Emmett seeing as he was normally loud and made his presence known instantly. Chris looked at him expectantly. "We kind of have something going on there." He cleared his throat. "Bella has to leave." He whispered looking at Bella and I.

Bella shifted closer to me and leaned her head on my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head gently and she sighed, squeezing my hand gently.

"What do you mean "has to leave"?" Chris asked, looking over at the two of us.

"The guy that has a problem with Edward and I being together....he phoned my mom and told her a load of stuff that wasn't true about Edward." Bella spoke quietly, not meeting Chris's gaze whilst rubbing small circles on the back of my hand with her thumb. "She believed him and she's making me move back to Phoenix with her. She still has primary custody of me so I have no choice."

"Have you tried to explain the situation to her?"

"I've tried." She confessed. I could hear the tears in her voice. I kissed the top of her head again, trying to reassure her, but I knew it wasn't going to work. "But she just won't listen. She's believing Jacob over me and it hurts that she won't even give me the time or opportunity to explain."

"Okay, um." Chris wrote this down on his notepad. "I think this is something that we need to delve into in more depth. Probably next week." He looked up from his notepad at me. I silently thanked him for postponing talking about that subject as he knew that it would be painful for me, well the both of us, to talk about. None of us wanted to talk about it, even though we knew we had to. He looked at me intensly, before glancing back at his notepad. "So, Edward," He let out a breath. "Are you still taking your medication."

"Of course." I nodded at him.

"And how do you feel about that?" He asked, checking something on the pad.

"Honestly," I looked at Bella and she smiled at me, squeezing my hand again, reassuring me that it was okay for me to carry on. "I don't know."

"What do you mean?" He looked confused.

"It's like...I don't really know....what I'm feeling." I shook my head. "It's hard to explain."

"You've got to try, son." Carlisle spoke softly from where he sat on the sofa next to Esme.

I nodded. "It's like....I'm wrapped in cotton wool....or a blanket or something....and I'm not really....sure....what's happening around me." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Like when you're wrapped in a sleeping bag, and you're not really sure how cold it really is. That's what it feels like. And I....I'm starting to worry about the fact that I'm not really sure about how I feel."

"You know it's important that you keep taking them though, right, dear." Esme asked me, sounding worried. She probably thought that I was going to stop taking them.

I nodded, not really focusing on any of them. "It's like, with what Emmett said. Bella's leaving and it doesn't seem to bother me. Or as much it should. I mean, she's leaving, moving god knows how many miles away for who knows how long and....I don't know. It's not really bothering me. And I can't help but that that's not me. That I should be more upset about it, but the drugs are making so I'm not."

"Well, we can work on that while Bella is still here. Maybe I can schedule sessions that involve just the two of you." He looked at Carlisle. "What do you think?"

"I think that sounds like a good idea." Carlisle replied. "I'll have to speak with Charlie, Bella's father about that, but I don't think that he'll have a problem with it." Chris nodded and I smiled.

"Now, Edward." He turned to look at me again. "In one of your sessions with Derek, you talked about insecurities being one of your triggers." I nodded. "Do you think you're learning to deal with that?"

I looked at him. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and I cursed myself inwardly. I shook my head slightly. "No. No, not all the time." I took a deep breath and looked down at my hand, intertwined with Bella's. "When I was in the clinic, Derek and I did some work on triggers and.....and that was the painful part." I whispered the last bit, but the room was so quiet I knew they could hear me.

"What do you mean?" Emmett asked, sitting forward to lean his elbows on his knees. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was curious and worried at the same time.

I inhaled deeply again. "You'd think that not eating for days, the dull ache in your stomach, the pangs of hunger. You think that was painful?" I scrunched up my nose and shook my head. "No. No, they weren't. I was proud of those. I'd achieved those. Even the dizzy spells, the weakness that went with it. Everything else came with it. In my mind, it was all worth it, because I....I had achieved it. It was something that I had done. On my own." I rested my elbow on the arm of the sofa and rested my forehead on my hand. I felt the tears that had begun clouding my vision fall down my face and whispered, "I hate myself."

At this Bella lifted her head up and wrapped her arm around my neck, pulling me towards her. "No, no baby." She pulled my head down and kissed my forehead. I heard her sob and sniff as she did so and I rested my head on her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around me.

"I know....I know it's pathetic and useless to think that way, but I can't help feeling that way and I'm sorry." I didn't meet any of the gazes of my family, but I heard Rosalie sniffing from the sofa and I saw Emmett wrap his arms around her in my peripheral vision.

"What starts it?" Alice asked in a small voice. I could hear the tears in her voice as well and I hated myself even more, knowing that I was making my family cry.

"I don't know....the loss, kind of rejection...people at school....being humiliated." These were all pathetic reasons and I knew that, but I couldn't help that that's what I felt.

"But I don't understand." Emmett said, still comforting Rose. "Everyone gets humiliated. You know, maybe rejected by girls and stuff...well....most guys anyway...."

"Triggers aren't the cause." Chris explained looking around at my family, while Bella ran her hands through my hair. "Edward doesn't suffer like he does because of a bit of namecalling, or due to things that happened back in Chicago. The reasons run a lot deeper than that, as I'm sure you all know." He glanced around again, before settling his gaze on me. They did all know what he was talking about.

My parents death.

"Couldn't control what happened." I said quietly. "And that's the most important thing. That I feel in control of something in my life." Bella ran the backs of her fingers acroos my cheek, in a soothing way.

"This is something that Edward has to get a handle on himself. But the unconditional love that you can all provide will help. It will help in a way that you can't imagine. But...." He paused, looking at me intently. "He does need his independence. To learn to fight his own battles, to stand on his own two feet. Not allowing him to do so....well....that may only cause him to retreat back into the shell that he lived in for such a long time. Because you would essentially be taking his independence and the control of his own actions away from him." I looked at Chris, who was still looking at me intently. He had just hit the nail on the head with that last statement. That was exactly how I had been feeling over the last couple of days.

This guy really did know what he was doing. He was almost as good as Derek. Almost.

"Hang on a sec." Jasper leant forward and took up the same pose that Emmett had a moment ago. "The other day. On the beach. Is that why you walked off?" I looked at him and his eyes were full of worry. Jasper never really worried. He was always the cool, calm and collected one in the family. I nodded and his face seemed to fall. "We had no idea." He looked at the others and they shook their heads.

"I know you didn't." I admitted. "How could you?" I looked up at them. "It's alright." I tried to assure them. "There was no way for you guys to know. I mean, I didn't tell you, and you guys aren't mind-readers." They all nodded, though their expressions betrayed their true feelings. "Honestly, you guys it's okay." I looked back down at my hands. "It's just....yeah, I was grateful that you guys showed up when you did, 'cause if you hadn't, I would probably be having reconstructive surgery at the moment, but after you guys got him off me....the way that you carried on....it made me feel....."

"It's okay, baby." Bella kissed my forehead again.

"It made me feel humiliated and weak." I admitted. "It made me feel like I couldn't deal with my own problems. That I couldn't fight my own battles. And I just....I couldn't deal with that."

"We had no idea, son." Carlisle looked like he wanted to get up and hug me, but thought better of it. Something that I was thankful for. I knew that if he had, a fresh wave of tears would have made their way to the surface. I was fighting them back as it was.

"Honestly we didn't Edward." Emmett said quietly. "We thought that we were helping."

"I know you did," I admitted. "And you did, but I need to learn how to fight my own battles. I need to be able to deal with things on my own."

"We understand Edward." Jasper breathed, and I nodded looking at him. I know they did.

"I know you do." I whispered.

"Okay," Chris said softly. "I think we'll leave it here for now. There's been a lot said and there's a lot to think about. I know that you'll all want to think about things and talk about them amongst yourselves." He stood up. "I'll see you all next week. You've made great progress today Edward. I'll call your father and ask him about the sessions for just you and Bella, okay?" I nodded and he bid us goodbye and Carlisle and Esme let him out.

"You okay?" Jasper asked quietly and I nodded. They all got up slowly and left the living room, probably sensing that Bella and I needed some time alone.

"Hey, baby." She cooed in my ear, running one hand through my hair, while the other rubbed soothing circles on my back. "It's okay."

I nodded and closed my eyes, listening to her rhythmic breathing.

I'm guessing that the exhaustion of the last hour or so took over because the next thing I was aware of, was the darkness and the pull of sleep, beckoning me.

And I followed it willingly.

**Okay, this was a longer chapter. But I thought I owed it to you after the shortness of the last chapter :D  
This chappie flowed a lot better than the last one. And it even brought a tear to my eye during the therapy session.  
Please review. It'll make Edward happy if you do :)  
xx**


	22. Once And For All

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

I woke up the next morning in my own bed and realised that Bella wasn't with me. I was confused as I could have sworn that I fell asleep on the sofa downstairs just after Chris left. And that I was with Bella. So how did I get up here? And where did Bella go? It had been a while since I had woken up and she wasn't there. I felt alone. More so than I had recently. Because she was always there. I knew that I had to learn to live without her, but I didn't want to do that yet. I wanted to savour every moment I had with her.

My mind flicked back to the session yesterday. I had told my family more than I had previously wanted to. I had let them all know exactly how I was feeling, especially after my siblings had "defended" me against Jacob. Well, that was what they had done. They hadn't realised that in doing so they were humiliating me. How could they know they were making me feel that way? I hadn't told them. I had turned to the only defence mechanism I knew. To withdraw and not talk about my problems. Chris had told me in previous sessions that I would need to learn to fight that instinct, as withdrawing in on myself would only cause me to go backwards.

Nothing had been said about my refusing to eat. Something that I was grateful for, as I knew that it would have repercussions if that came out. Repercussions I didn't know if I could deal with.

Thankfully, Chris hadn't seemed upset about the fact that Bella and I were engaged. On the contrary, he seemed happy. Normally, those in my stage of recovery were discouraged from having relationships, from starting them and were encouraged to put a relationship on hold if they were in them. Something about needing to focus on themselves rather than having to focus on maintaining a relationship at the same time. My only conclusion about Chris's behaviour was that he had heard about how Bella had helped me in the clinic. He had seen that she was my rock and that I needed her, for much more than my recovery.

As I was milling over this the bathroom door opened and I looked up to see Bella standing there smiling at me. I instanstly felt better.

"Morning," She said softly, walking over to me and sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Morning," I whispered.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, taking my hand in hers as I rolled over to face her.

"Confused, mostly." A perplexed look came over her face. "How did I get up here? I could have sworn I fell asleep downstairs."

She grinned at me. She had probably thought that there was something wrong with me. "Emmett carried you up here after you fell asleep." I felt my mouth making a small "oh" shape. "You didn't really think that we were going to let you sleep downstairs did you?" I shrugged and she smiled at me, shaking her head. "Of course not silly." She leaned over and kissed my temple lightly.

"What time is it?" I asked, leaning around to try and see my clock.

"It's, um," She looked at her watch briefly. "8:23AM."

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?" I asked raising my eyebrows. She opened her mouth to begin to protest but I stopped her. "Ah. You promised." Her face fell at that, realising that, yes, I did remember the conversation that we had had yesterday before the others got home. "You thought I'd forgotten." She smiled a sly smile at me from underneath her hair and nodded. "Well, I haven't." I twisted myself around so that I was looking up and her directly, she grinned at me and I couldn't help but smile back before I felt my face getting serious. "Seriously you can't miss anymore time off school. You need to go in. You have three weeks left, if that, and that's mostly exams and stuff isn't it." She didn't answer. "Look, you've got to go in. If you don't....I won't kiss you the summer." Her mouth fell open and her eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?" I sat up, a smug smile on her face. I had found my leverage. "You forget, I have practise at denying myself what I want and need. And I doubt you have the same restraint." Her face fell even more as she realised that I could very well be serious. She didn't know I was bluffing, but hell, I have one hell of a good poker face.

"Alright." She gave in, just as I knew would. "Can I have a kiss now?" She added in a small voice.

"Only, if you promise that you will go in to school everyday until the summer." I pointed a finger at her and raised my eyebrows at her, expectantly.

"Fine." She huffed. "I'll go in. But I would much rather spend the time with you."

"I know, I want to spend the time with you as well, but your education is important." I pressed, rubbing small circles into the back of her hand. She sighed and clutched my hand with hers. "You have to go in. You can't give up everything for me."

"I don't deserve you." She whispered, not looking at me. "You've come so far. You're so strong and I just feel that....."

"What?"

"That some day soon you're going to realise that you don't need me anymore." She whispered. I could hear the pain coming through in that whisper. "I feel that, you're going to get better and find someone else who's prettier, more intelligent and funnier than I am, and then you're going to move on."

"Hey," I said sternly, placing a finger underneath her chin and forcing her to look at me. I could see that there were tears in her eyes. I could see that she really believed that I was going to leave her at the first chance I got. I wanted to make sure that there was no way she could ever think that again. "I love _you_, Bella. I will always need you. To me there is no one better than you. You are the most beautiful, smartest, funniest - well maybe aside from Emmett who's just a walking joke - " I got a small sob like laugh out of her with that one and I smiled slightly. "You really think that I'm going to use you to get better and then toss you aside?" I didn't get an answer, which spoke volumes to me. "There is no way that I could physically leave you even if the time ever came that I would ever want to. I need you Bella. More than anything in the world. I've proven that I can go days without food and drink, but....when I'm not with you, it's like....I ache all over. Like this morning, when I woke up and you weren't there, it felt wrong. I want to wake up with you every morning. Forever. And there's nothing that anyone can do or say that is going to make me change my mind." I took her hand in mine, and kissed each of her knuckles gently. "I love you, Isabella Marie Swan. Forever and always."

"As I love you Edward." She sniffed.

"Where did this come from?" I asked her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I don't know." She sniffed and I gave her a tissue. She smiled at me gratefully before she wiped the tears from her eyes and nose. "I guess....I guess it's the fact that you're getting better. And I just didn't know what would happen....especially seeing as I have to leave." Tears began to well up in her eyes again and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me. "I mean, you are gorgeous." I scoffed at her. "No. Edward you are. I know you don't see it, and I sure as hell don't see why you don't. Most guys who even remotely as good looking as you are players and....I don't know." She looked up at me and smiled. "You. Are. Beautiful." I smiled at her, my non-belief shining through. She huffed knowing that I wasn't going to be believing her anytime soon. "I don't know. Maybe it's just the fear that when I'm away, you're going to find someone better for you and call everything off."

"What? Call of the engagement?" I looked at her, my mouth open and she nodded. "There is no way that will be happening. There is no one out there who is better for me than you. You're....you're like the other half of me Bella. I just don't function without you."

"I feel the same way." She sniffed.

"Then what are you worried about?" I asked as she sat up and looked at me. I took her left hand in mine and ran my thumb over the ring that rested on her third finger. "This." I brought her hand up my my mouth and kissed the ring softly. "Is forever." She gave me a small smile and leaned in to kiss me.

The kiss we shared then had nothing rushed or impatient about it. It was the softest, tenderest kiss. It was filled with love and passion. It was sweet and drawn-out. It was these kind of kisses that blew me away. Yes, every kiss with Bella was phenomenal, but these kisses were the ones that I savoured, the ones that I waited for, that I longed for. It was these kind of kisses that I wanted to share with Bella for the rest of forever. Of course we didn't have forever, but oh, how I wished we could. Her lips moved softly against mine, as if they were made for mine and no others. I knew that no other kisses from anyone else, would ever compare to Bella's. And I didn't plan on sharing a kiss with anyone else. In that kiss, the rest of the world seemed to melt away. There were no others. No schools. No work. Nothing else existed. We were in our own little bubble.

And I didn't want to leave that bubble.

Of course we had to though. As we grudgingly ended the kiss, I rested my forehead against hers. We were both breathing a little harder, due to lack of air, but I didn't care. All I knew was that I had the most beautiful girl in the world. She was sitting on my bed, she had my ring on her finger. I knew it was wrong to claim possession of people. But she was mine. As I was hers.

_My_ Bella.

"I guess I better get going." I nodded and she kisses me softly again before she got up, grabbed her bag and walked out of my room.

I flopped back on my bed and sighed. I knew that she had to leave. That she needed her education. I had been loathe to let her go, even though I knew that she had to. And especially after that kiss I wanted nothing more than to hold her close to me and never let her go again. But if I thought that letting her go to school was painful. That spending eight hours away from her, when I knew when she was coming back and when I was going to see her again, how the hell was I going to cope when she left for Phoenix.

I had a thought then. Maybe I could call Renee, and find out exactly what Jacob had said about me. I wouldn't tell her who it was calling. I would tell her that I was Emmett or something and say that I was worried about me. I didn't know. I'd work it out.

Was I brave enough to call Renee?

Did I want to keep Bella?

The answer to that question was definitely yes, so I resolved that I would at least try to get Renee to tell me what she knew, and why she wanted Bella back in Phoenix. Maybe there was also a chance that I could get Renee to allow Bella to stay. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try, right?

I rolled out of bed and made my way downstairs to get myself some breakfast, before Carlisle or Esme came up and bugged me about it, all the while milling over everything in my mind.

**BPOV**

School that day was a complete bore and a blur. I could understand why Edward wanted me to go to school. But it didn't mean that I was happy about having to leave him. I hated leaving him alone. My body ached for him when I wasn't with him. Even if I knew that he was in the next room or on the opposite side of a door or something, my body yearned for him, in a way that I had never felt before.

It was like he was the other half to me, the piece that made me whole and when he wasn't there, it was as though there was a piece missing.

I couldn't help my mind flicking back to that kiss we shared in his room this morning. It was incredible. I lived for kisses like those. Those were the kisses that I waited for, that I longed for. They were the kisses that I poured my heart and soul into, and I could tell that he was the same. It was incredible.

How was I going to live without those kisses?

I really didn't know.

After school finished, I told the Cullens that I had to go home. I told them that Charlie wanted to spend some time with me.

That wasn't what I was doing. Yes, I was going to see Charlie. I needed him for support while I went against everything that I felt was right.

I was going to see Jacob.

I wanted this cleared up completely. I wanted to know what his problem was. I wanted to know what his problem with Edward was. Yes, I got the overprotective best friend routine, but honestly, there were boundaries. Phoning up someone's mother and convincing them to have your best friend move back over a thousand miles because you didn't like her boyf- fiance, I corrected myself. It was going to take a long time to get used to that. Then, attacking said fiance when he was on his own. Those things were definitely over the boundaries of the overprotective best friend routine.

"Charlie?" I called as I walked into the house. His cruiser was outside so I knew that he was home.

"In here Bells." He called from the sitting room. Of course he was in there. I knew exactly what he would look like as well. He would be sat there, in his favourite armchair, beer in one hand, remote in the other watching some form of sports. I dumped my bag and coat in the hallway and walked into the sitting room. Yup, I was right. He was sat there the way I had visioned he would be.

I knew that before I asked him to help me with Jacob, I had to tell him about Edward and I being engaged, because I knew that that was definitely something that was going to come up.

"Dad, can I talk to you?" I asked, tentatively and his face snapped up to meet my gaze. I could tell what was going to through his mind. He probably thought that I was going to tell him that I was pregnant._ Well, not yet_. I added in my mind, smiling internly. I bit my lip as he looked at me before turning off the TV.

"Sure Bells," He sat forward in his chair as I sat cautiously on the sofa. "What's up?"

"I have something that I need to tell you." He tensed up, his fingers creating dents in the beer can that he was holding.

"Is it to do with Edward?" He asked through a clenched jaw. I nodded tentatively. "That boy! Has he- Are you-?"

"No, Dad." I sighed. "I'm not pregnant." I saw him visibly relax. It was true that my Dad liked Edward. He thought that he was as strong as I did and had openly admitted to me that he admired him for finally facing his problems and getting help. Not that he had a choice but still. He had told me that he thought Edward was strong and deserved the best in life after what he had been through. "Would it be so bad if I was. I mean, you've told me you like Edward."

"Well...." He stammered. "Yes, I like Edward, but I guess, what with the two of you being so young....and I-I-I'd want you to do it properly anyway."

"Properly?"

"W-Well, I'd like to think that-that-that he would be a gentleman and y-y-you know, um, uh, um," He stammered, which caused me to smile.

"Marry me first?" I raised my eyebrows at him and he nodded. "Well, that's kind of what I needed to tell you." I looked up at him again and he looked at me confused. "He did." Charlie's eyes grew wide. "And I said yes." I thought that his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

"Are you serious?" He managed to choke out. I nodded. "When?"

"Monday." I said in a small voice.

"Um.....well ummmm....." I could tell that his brain was on overload. It could have been worse I guess. He could have been shouting and screaming at me. Telling me that I was stupid. "Can I see it?" He meant the ring and I stood up and walked over to him, holding out my hand. He took my hand and looked at the ring. He let out a low whistle when he saw it. I knew that he was impressed with it and I smiled. "It's beautiful, Bells."

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked, placing a hand to his forehead, jokingly.

"Yes," He swatted my hand away.

"Are you sure? I was kind of expecting you to blow up at me. You know, tell me that I'm being stupid and that I'm too young and all that stuff." I sat back down on the sofa.

"Honestly. Yeah, you are young. But...." He took a deep breath as if weighing up what he was going to say. "I've seen how you and Edward are together. You two just....fit...." He made some weird gesture with his hands that I didn't want to ask about. "I know that you're not going to want anyone else Bells. Even though I do think that you're too young, I know that that boy, is the only one that is going to be able to make you happy."

"You're not worried that we're going to turn out like you and Renee?" I asked and he shook his head, slowly.

"No. Yes, I loved your mother, but I can see that it was nothing compared to how you and Edward feel about each other. I mean, you can feel the love radiating off of the two of you."

I smiled at him and launched myself off of the sofa, wrapping my arms around him. "Thank you Daddy!" He chuckled and tentatively put his arms around me.

This was incredible. I had managed to get Charlie to sit down and have a conversationt that lasted more than thirty seconds and I had just managed to tell him that Edward and I were engaged without sustaining any injuries. I resolved to ask him to help me with Jacob today.

"Where is Edward anyway?" He asked as I sat down on the sofa again. "Isn't it customary for the man to be present while telling the father of his fiancee that he's marrying his daughter?" I thought for a moment, while I tried to make sense of that in my head.

"Well, I came straight from school." I took a deep breath. "I wanted to ask you something else as well." He raised his eyebrows at me, expectantly. "I need to get all of this stuff with Jacob sorted, and now. Did you know that he attacked Edward on the beach the other day?" Charlie shook his head, a shocked expression on his face. He hadn't seen Billy and therefore hadn't seen Jacob since the weekend and the Cullens didn't want to make a fuss. Or at least Edward didn't. The rest of the family, were all up for showing the towns what kind of person Jacob really was. I quickly explained to Charlie what had happened at the beach, and the repercussions that it had had for Edward and the rest of the family. He told me that he would help me and we quickly left for La Push.

I knew that it would hurt my dad to be hurting Jacob, as it would hurt Billy in the proccess. But I knew that Charlie's innate sense of right and wrong would win out in this fight. He knew that it was wrong of Jacob to attack Edward in the manner that he had, and there was no way that he was going to stand for it. I knew that it wasn't just because Edward was my fiance that he felt this. He would have felt the same way about anyone. No one deserves to be attacked when they hadn't done anything wrong.

We took the cruiser and the ride was quicker than it would have been in my truck. We spent the journey in silence, which was fine by me as I wanted to sit and mull over what I was going to say to Jacob. I knew that if I didn't get something straight in my head I would just scream at him until my throat was sore, knowing that it wouldn't do any good whatsoever.

We pulled up outside the Black's house and saw that there were two motorcycles there. I knew them to belong to Sam and Embry, two of the guys that lived down here in La Push with Jacob. Why Embry was still hanging with Jacob, I didn't know. He knew what Jacob had done to Edward and the real reasons behind him phoning my mother.

We walked up to the front door and Charlie knocked. After a moment, Billy opened the door, looking slightly strained. His face brightened momentarily at seeing us standing there, before it darkened again when he saw the expressions on our faces.

"Come on in, you two." He said, wheeling himself back to make room for us to make our way past.

"Where's Jacob?" I asked coldly.

"He's out back with Sam and Embry." Billy rubbed a hand over his forehead, dragging it down his face to finish at his chin. "Listen, Bella, he's got Sam and Embry on his case about what happened at the beach right now. Go easy on him. Please."

I shook my head. "Sorry, Billy. I can't do that."

"What exactly has he done to warrant this?" He asked, looking between Charlie and myself.

"Will you explain?" I asked Charlie and he nodded.

"Sure thing, kid." I smiled at him and heard he and Billy start to make their way into the Blacks' front room, as Charlie began to tell Billy what had happened.

I stalked outside, knowing exactly where they would all be. I didn't really need my dad so much now that I knew that Sam and Embry were on Jacob's case as well. I could leave Charlie to explain everything to Billy. I heard raised voices coming from Jacob's shed and I made my way towards it, the voices becoming clearer as I approached.

"You know what, you guys!" I heard Jacob shouting. "I really don't give a shit! He can go and fucking starve if he wants to! In fact, I wish he would!"

"Is that so?" I asked, walking into their line of sight and crossing my arms over my chest, staring him down. "Is that what you really think Jacob?"

Because if it was, there was going to be no way I was going to let up.

He was going to pay.

**I don't want to sound like I'm being whiny or anything, but I'm getting a bit discouraged due to the lack of reviews. I mean, that is why I'm writing this story. For you guys and the lack of responses that I've been getting for the last few chapters. It's a bit discouraging. Don't get me wrong I am completely blown away by the amount of reviews that I have for this story, and I never thought that I would get such a repsonse to either of my stories but I feel that they're dwindling a bit. A lack of reviews and responses means that I don't know if you guys like it, if you hate it, in what way you think I can improve it. And all it does is make me feel like people are getting bored or aren't liking the story so much. Even if it's just an "update soon" or something like that, it means that I know people are enjoying the story.  
****Sorry to sound whiny, but I'm sure that fellow authors out there know what I mean.  
Please review.**

**xx**


	23. The Phone Call

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**I just want to thank everyone for reviewing. I know it must seem a little pathetic, me asking for reviews when I've already got so many. I honestly never thought that I would have this kind of response to my story - well, either one of them - and the responses that I have had are amazing. But it's the reviews and opinions of you guys, the readers, that cause me to write this story.**

**And I want to say a HUGE thanks to those of you who review every single chapter. It makes me smile no end. You know who you are :D**

**Also, a lot of people have been commenting about the prologue, asking me if it is a nightmare of if it is real and I can honestly say that I can't tell you what happens. Unlike a lot of authors and writers I don't plan ahead, so I don't have a plotline that I'm following. I can't say what will happen later on in the story, with regards to the prologue because I'm not entirely sure about what's going to happy. Sorry.**

**Anyways I'm going to stop babbling now and get on with the story.**

**EPOV**

I sat in the living room after having eaten my breakfast wondering how I was going to do this.

I had resolved that I was going to try to get Renee to listen to what was really going on, rather than Jacob's warped view, but the only problem was I had no idea of how to get her contact details.

I couldn't ask Bella. There was no way that she would let me get involved in any of this stuff going on with Jacob. Like the rest of them, she wanted to shield me from everything that was happening. That was not what I wanted. Even though she thought that she was helping, all of this affected me as much as it did her. She might be the one that was leaving, but as soon as she got on that plane, I knew that she was taking my heart and my reason for being with her. I didn't want to let happen. I couldn't, I _wouldn't_ let that happen.

Imagining life without Bella.

That was something that I couldn't do.

No, it was something that I _wouldn't_ do.

But I had a slight problem. I didn't know how to get in contact with Renee. Again I was back to feeling useless. I wanted to stop Bella from leaving, as much as anyone else did, but I didn't feel as though as I could. With everyone else, it was like the main goal was to keep everything away from me. To keep me from getting upset or whatever, and that was something I was tired of. Even Bella to a certain extent, but she let me in when she knew that I needed to know what was really going on. Even so, if there was other slight stuff going on, I wasn't in the know. I knew that there was something being kept from me, but I just had no idea what. And I was sick of it. There had to be a way that I could get contact details for Renee. I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees, sighing as I did so. I rested my face in my hands, trying to think, but coming up blank. Then my head snapped up as it hit me.

"Charlie." I whispered.

Realising this I wondered if it would work. I had to try and find out.

I practically ran up the stairs and got into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the tension that had built up in my shoulders. Whilst underneath the hot water I ran through my mind, trying to work out what I was going to say when and if I caught up with Charlie. I knew that I had to do, I just didn't know how to do it. Stepping out of the shower I towelled myself dry and got dressed quickly. Running down the stairs I made sure that Esme and Carlisle still weren't here. Noting that the house was in fact empty, I grabbed my jacket and scribbled down a quick note. I didn't say where I was going but I made sure to note down that if I wasn't back before they got home, for them not to worry.

I grabbed my car keys and walked out of the house. Getting into my car, I placed the keys into the ignition but didn't turn them. Instead I placed my hands onto the steering wheel, closed my eyes and took a deep breath, preparing myself for what I was going to do. Once I had gotten myself relatively calm and collected I started the car and made my way down the driveway.

I knew the way to Bella's purely because she had taken me there the day I told her everything from school, and seeing as there was only one main road in Forks it wasn't that hard to find. It still depressed me a little to think of how small this place really was. And yet at the same time I was astounded that not everyone knew where I really was, or what was really going on with me for the last eight months. Bella had told us that gossip in this town spread like wild-fire and I knew that my family must have been working overtime to make sure that nothing that was close to the truth was spread.

Something I was thankful for. Something else I owed them for.

Approaching Bella's house I saw her dilapidated old truck parked in the driveway. Why she bothered to drive that thing was beyond me. Why she didn't trade it in for something newer and more reliable, I didn't know. What I did know was that she loved that truck. For some reason, a reason that was beyond me, she had some strange attachment to it. I wasn't about to tell her to give it up, but I sure as hell wasn't going to ride in it again. The first, last and only time I had ridden in it was almost a year ago and it had scared the hell out of me. The fact that I thought the engine was going to explode along the way was enough to deter me from climbing into it again.

I also noticed that Charlie's police cruiser was parked in the driveway as well. I let out a breath that I didn't realise I had been holding in. That meant he was home from work. It must be his day off today.

I parked on the curb, just off from their driveway, just in case some emergency came up and Charlie had to leave quickly. I didn't want to be the reason he was delayed. But then again thinking about it, there were never any real emergencies in Forks, but knowing my luck, today would be the day that a real emergency did arise.

I climbed out of my car and walked slowly up the driveway, trying to regulate my breathing as I did so. What the hell was I going to say to him? Hi, Charlie. I was wondering could I have Renee's number so I can call her and demand that she leave Bella alone? No, I didn't think that that would work.

_Wing it,_ I thought to myself. _You've been able to do that for ten years. You can sure as hell do it now._ I at least hoped so.

I knocked on the door tentatively and it was a moment before I heard any movement from within. It was too late now to run back to my car and drive off. My Volvo may not have been as noticeable as say, Alice's Porsche or Rose's BMW but it still stood out in Forks. He would know that it was me who had knocked on the door in a heartbeat.

I was broken out of my musings by the door opening and a bewildered looking Charlie standing in front of me. "Edward?" His voice sounded as confused as the expression on his face made him look.

"Hi, Charlie." I said quietly. "Can I talk to you?"

He nodded, stepping aside and opening the door, gesturing for to come inside. I smiled at him as I walked past. The confused look was still on his face as he led me into the sitting room. The house was exactly as I remembered it from the one and only time that I'd been there. It seemed strange to think that I had been with Bella all this time and I had only been to her house once. Not counting this time that is.

"What can I do for you, Ed?" He asked sitting down.

"Edward, please." I sat down on the sofa facing him. The confused look increased on his face, and I guessed that it was because I preferred my full name as opposed to anything else. "I don't like nicknames or abbreviations of my name." I explained and his mouth made the little "oh" that I recognised as realisation. He nodded at me, a small smile on his lips.

"What can I do for you, Edward?" I smiled at him. I hadn't really talked to Charlie that much, but from what I had heard from Bella and Alice, who by the way, had him wrapped around her little finger, he was a good guy. Easy to get along with.

"Um, it's about Bella." I noticed that his face became a little tensed when I said that. "I know she has to leave at the end of the summer." He nodded solemnly. "I was wondering, why? I mean, I know that Renee has been told some things about....me.....that she obviously didn't like, but I was wondering if you knew what it was."

He shook his head slowly. "No, I'm afraid I don't." He looked at me and I could see the sadness in his eyes. "She won't tell me. I've tried to convince her that whatever it is that she's been told, isn't true. And I know for a fact, even if I don't know what it is, that it's not, you understand Edward?" I nodded, smiling at him. I know that he knew that what Jacob had told Bella's mother was a lie. Like I said, Charlie was a good guy. He never jumped the gun. And seeing as he knew exactly what _was_ going on, he knew that I wasn't crazy or in a mental institution or somewhere like that. "Honestly, I don't think that anything anyone says to her is going to make any difference." He sighed. "Whatever Jacob said to Renee, she won't tell us what it was, and she seems to believe it. She won't listen to any of us."

"Well, apparently, Jacob has told her that .... I have been in some kind of .... mental hospital.....for the last eight months." I saw his mouth drop open slightly as I told him this. "Tell me about it. I don't know what I've done to make him so mad, you know, but .... I just....it's hurting Bella, and she's the _last_ person I want to hurt."

"I know, son." He smiled warmly at me, and I smiled back. I didn't know whether or not Bella had told him about us being engaged yet, so I didn't remark on the "son" that he had put on the end of that statement. I think I would rather Bella be here when he found out that particular bit of news. "Unfortunately, Renee is where Bella gets her stubborn streak from. Something I think you've probably seen a couple of times right?" I rolled my eyes and nodded, smiling again. Oh, yes, I had seen that streak. Too many times. "So, I don't think that she's going to listen to anything that anyone's got to say."

"Maybe....." I hesitated, before deciding to go straight for the kill. "Maybe _I_ could talk to Renee." He raised his eyebrows at me. "I mean....with everybody else calling her, she's got to be thinking that it's all of you guys, I don't know, trying to sugar coat everything. But maybe....if she heard it, my story, straight from me, she might listen." He nodded slightly, obviously thinking things over. "I mean, where better to hear something than straight from the horses' mouth, right?"

"You know, Edward." He said thoughtfully. "You might be onto something there." He stood up and walked through to the kitchen, motioning for me to follow. Which I did, slightly confused. As I walked into the kitchen I saw him digging into a draw and pulling out a little book. An address book I guess. He also took a little pad off of the wall and began searching for a pen. I saw one on the side next to me and handed it to him. "Thanks." He flipped through the book, instantly turning to a page that looked a bit worn. Something told me that he had been turning to that page a lot in the last few days. He found the number that he had been looking for and wrote it down, writing a name above it. He closed the book and wrote down another name and number. "Now..." He stood up and faced me, the paper in his hand. "I'm not going to tell you that this is going to be easy. Renee is a lot more stubborn than Bella is. Like I said that's where she gets it from, so it's a bit diluted." He grinned.

"Don't worry, sir." I replied, smiling. "I'm pretty stubborn myself."

"So I've heard." I looked at him confused. "Oh no, I didn't mean anything by that. It's just, some things that Bella has told me, you know, gifts and such, like the crest that you gave her. You were pretty adamant about it." I nodded. "But anyway. It might take a lot of convincing to get her to even listen to you. It all depends on what mood she's in. Hope to God that she's in a good mood, otherwise, you're not going to get anywhere with her." I nodded, smiling and he handed me the piece of paper. "And, uh, I put my cell on there as well, you know, just in case you need to contact me at all."

"Thank you sir." I said, remembering my manners.

"Charlie, please." He grinned at me and I smiled back. Yeah, I definitely liked Charlie.

"Charlie." I nodded once. "Thank you." I folded up the paper and turned to leave.

"Edward?" I turned to look at him as I reached the door. "Just to let you know, I didn't mean for it to come out...you know....about everything. And even if I had, I never thought that anything like this would ever happen."

"I know, Charlie." I said softly, smiling warmly at him. "It's okay. Honestly," I took a deep breath. "I'm surprised that it's not all over Forks by now. I mean, with a town this size. Bella's always told me that gossip spreads like wild-fire in this place. So I'm surprised that not everyone knows."

"Yeah," He nodded, looking at his shoes. "Well, the kids have worked pretty hard at keeping it on the low. And, whenever anyone's asked me about it, I always tell them that I don't know anything. That Bella doesn't really talk about what happens at yours. I tell her that the reminder of what happened to you that day at school hurts too much."

"Thanks Charlie."

"How are you doing anyway?" He sounded genuinely concerned.

"I'm doing okay." I replied. "There have been a few ups and downs since I got out of hospital, but honestly. If it weren't for your daughter, I'd still be in there." I told him honestly and I saw the warmth return to his eyes. "Thanks Charlie."

"What for?" He sounded confused again.

"Oh you know. Everything." I smiled at him again. "Bella." He smiled and nodded at me as I walked out of the door.

That meeting went better than I had thought it would. Honestly, I didn't know what I was expecting, but I knew I wasn't expecting that. Maybe some kind of resistance to my getting involved. But then again, he wanted his daughter to stay with him and maybe, like me, he was willing to take whatever chance he had to to make it so she stayed.

I drove home quickly, wanting to get this over and done with soon. Pulling up my driveway I was glad to see that no one else was home. Lately, the comings and goings of my family had become so erratic I had no idea when to expect them home. I jumped out of my car and walked quickly up my driveway, letting myself into the house.

I took the phone numbers out of my jacket pocket and tucked the piece of paper into the pocket of my jeans before taking my jacket off and hanging it up. I didn't really want to lose any points with Esme so I took off my shoes and placed them in the rack, as I was supposed to. Meh, call me what you want, I wasn't in the mood for an argument when Esme got home. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the note that I had left, scrunching it up and throwing it into the bin.

I walked up to my room, taking the phone numbers out of my pocket and entered my room. I sat down on my bed, wondering how to approach this. Did I go with my plan from earlier and say that I was someone else? No. I knew that this would get back to Bella and I didn't want to implicate anyone else. I would tell her who I was, and explain, or attempt to explain as Charlie had put it, everything that had really happened. Where I had been. What had led me down the path that I had taken. And that I loved and needed her daughter. She had to listen. She just _had_ to.

I dialed the number and taking a deep breath, I pressed the call button, placing it to my ear while I heard the tone waiting for a connection from the other end.

"Hello?" A woman's voice answered tentatively, not recognising the number.

"Uh, hello. I was wondering if I could speak to Renee please?" I asked, cursing myself for sounding like a dumbass.

"This is she." The woman on the other end sounded more confident now. "What can I do you for?"

"Actually I was calling about your daughter Bella." I bit my lip waiting for her response.

"What about her?" She sounded cautious now. "Who is this?"

"Um, my name is Edward. I'm-"

"Oh, you must be my Bella's boyfriend!" Her voice had suddenly gotten all high and sweet and incredibly fake, as though she was worried that I might flip if she said something wrong or used the wrong tone. But of course she was. She, of course, had been told that I was a mental case. "What can I do for you dear?"

"Um," I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger, closing my eyes tightly. "Firstly, if you could stop using that tone, that would be really _really_ great. It's incredibly patronising. And despite what you may have heard, I am _not_ a mental case."

"Oh, whatever do you mean dear?" She was still using that sugary fake voice.

"Jacob Black? Ring any bells?"

"Yes dear," She replied. "He's one of my Bella's oldest friends. And....don't worry dear. He told me about your....issues."

I was stunned. "W-what "issues"?"

"I think you know what I mean, dear."

"Actually." I corrected her. "No I don't. And could you please, stop calling me "dear". It's incredibly demeaning."

"Of course sweetheart." I made a face at her down the phone. Swapping one annoying name for another was not what I meant. "Now, how can I help you?"

"You can help me, by one: stop using that tone with me. Like I said, it's very patronising, I am _not_ a mental case, so you don't have to worry about upsetting me." I stood up now, unable to sit still any longer. "And two: if you could tell me _exactly_ what Jacob told you about me that would be great."

"Well." I noticed her tone change immediately. Obviously she wasn't a fan of the blunt route. Personally, this was what I had been hoping for. I much preferred people to be blunt with me than patronising. I was eighteen for Pete's sake, not four. "I'm not sure I should say anything. With what I've been told, you might.....react.....badly."

"Hold up." I stopped pacing. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"That reaction right there, is what that is supposed to mean." She replied quickly. "Jacob's told me all about you Edward. I know what you're like. About your "problems"." I could practically see the air quotations around the word "problems" as she said it.

"And what "problems" would those be?"

She sighed on the other end. "Oh, I don't know. The self-harm, you know, the starving yourself, hearing things, voices .... ring any bells?"

"Uh, okay." I sat down again, leaning against the headboard of my bed. "I will...admit to the first two but....I _do not_ hear "things" or "voices". I never have."

"That's not what I've heard."

"Then you've heard wrong." Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't she just listen to me? Charlie had said that she was a handful and hard to get through to and now I realised that I had seriously underestimated him. _Well, two can play at this game._ I thought to myself, smirking.

"Is that so?" She asked, sounding smug.

"Yes it is." I replied. "Did you ever think to question Jacob? Wonder why he thought that it was the best idea to phone you? I mean, if he was really worried about me then shouldn't he have gone to Charlie instead?"

"He told me that he did go to Charlie." She replied, the confidence in her voice rising with every syllable. "But he said that Charlie was so taken in with your family that he wouldn't listen to anything that he had to say."

"Did you ever stop to think that Jacob was lying?" I questioned her.

"Now why would he do that?"

"Oh, I don't know, because he might be jealous?" I raised that point. "He has a thing for Bella. Well...I think it might be more than a thing but....I don't know....he's jealous because Bella is with me and not him."

"Now, he said that you'd say that, when he called me." I could practically see the knowing finger waggling at me. "You see, you're not as smart as you think you are. You may have been able to fool your family with your _behaviour_ but you can't get past me."

"Okay, Renee." I sighed. "Did Jacob ever tell you _why_ I resorted to that "behaviour"? Did you ever stop to think that there might be something behind it. Look, I'll be the first to admit, yes I used to hurt myself, yes I used to starve myself. But I have never _ever_ heard any kinds of voices or whatever inside my head. _That_ is where I draw the line."

"What are you talking about?" She snapped. I was getting to her now. I smirked. I still had my uncanny ways of getting under people's skin. And I planned to use my ability to do that to my full advantage.

"What Jacob told you about me "hearing voices". Not true."

"Really?"

"Yes really." I replied. "Did he ever tell you the reasons why?"

"He never had to." She replied smugly. "It's not hard to work out. They say that behaviour like that runs in the family."

"What did you just say?" I whispered into the phone upon hearing that. She _did not_ just say what I think she said.

"They say that these thing are hereditary, don't they?"

I took a deep breath, trying not to lose it. If I lost it then I definitely would lose Bella. "Well, I guess we'll never know."

"Why not?" She asked. "Just asking your mother and father a few questions would help to clear that up." She said it as though it was that easy.

"That'll be a bit hard." I said in a low voice. "They're dead."

"What?"

"I said, my parents are dead. They died ten years ago." I sighed, trying to hold back the tears that were welling in my eyes. The same tears that always came whenever I spoke about my parents.

"That's not what I was told." She accused me, as though she thought that I would lie about something like that.

"Well, if _Jacob_ had his facts straight, he would know that Carlisle and Esme are not my biological parents." I looked out the window. "No. I had to watch my biological parents burn in a car crash ten years ago. I was the only one who made it out alive. _That's_ why I began to self harm. _That's_ why I began to starve myself. So I could deal with the pain of losing them. So I could have something familiar in my life again. _Not_ because I heard voices or whatever." She was silent on the other end. "Like I said, maybe you should have asked someone else other than Jacob."

"What does this have to do with Bella?" She asked, changing the subject.

I chuckle darkly. "Changing the subject? Good ploy. Bella is the one who convinced me to let go. To let go of all the pain and the guilt that I was feeling inside, and just.....move on. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me and I love her. I love her more than anything else in this world. Without her here there is just no reason for anything. And I know that she feels the same way about me. Her moving back to Phoenix will destroy both of us. I need her as much as she needs me. You have to let her stay here."

"I don't think I can do that, Edward." She told me.

"Why not?" I asked. "Nothing, I mean_ nothing_ that Jacob has said is true."

"What about you being in the hospital?" She questioned. "Is that true?"

"Yes, I was in _a_ hospital, but not the kind he made it out to be." I told her. "It wasn't so much a ..... hospital.....it was a clinic. To help people get over....eating disorders."

"People?" Her tone was skeptical and I knew that I had to push a bit more to get her to listen. I hoped that I was at least getting _somewhere_ with her.

"Yes, people with pasts like mine." I told her. "People going through things that they couldn't necessarily control. So .... they turned on themselves. Using the only thing that they could control."

"And you were one of these people?"

"Yes." I rolled my eyes. For someone so stubborn, she wasn't the most technically minded person I had ever spoken to.

"I don't know Edward." She replied. "For now, I still want Bella to come back to live with me. But I'll bear what you've told me in mind. Goodbye, Edward."

"No Renee wait-" But she had already hung up. Why did I feel like I had gained absolutely no ground whatsoever? Oh, wait, probably because I hadn't.

I growled, yes, I admit it, I growled at the phone in my hand in frustration and threw it on the couch across the other side of the room, where it landed with a resounding thud before bouncing off of the leather and landing on the floor with a slight bang. _Shit_, I thought. If I had broken that I was in trouble. All I could think was that I had no idea what I was going to do now. Well, there wasn't really much that I_ could_ do. I had tried. On some level, I knew that she wasn't going to listen to me. But I still knew that I had to at least try. And now, I knew she was going to get into contact with either Bella or Charlie, which meant that I was going to have to deal with the wrath of a five foot four, brown-haired, brown-eyed angel/demon - depending on her mood.

_Great_, I thought. _Just great._

**I just want to say thanks again for all the great reviews.  
Please, keep them coming. It's your reviews and opinions that keep this story going. They're what give me the inspiration to write.  
xx**


	24. Resolutions and New Friends

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

_"You know what, you guys!" I heard Jacob shouting. "I really don't give a shit! He can go and fucking starve if he wants to! In fact, I wish he would!"_

_"Is that so?" I asked, walking into their line of sight and crossing my arms over my chest, staring him down. "Is that what you really think Jacob?"_

_Because if it was, there was going to be no way I was going to let up._

_He was going to pay._

**BPOV**

I stood there, in front of Jacob, Sam and Embry. The three of them looked surprised to see me there.

Sam and Embry stood there with looks of surprise mixed in with relief. Probably because they knew that there was a higher chance of them winning their current argument with me there. I wasn't going to take a backseat in this argument. Hell, I was going to be the one fronting it.

Jacob on the other hand, looked pissed. Whether it was because I had heard what he had just said or because he knew that I would be taking the side of Sam and Embry, I didn't know. All I knew was in that instant. I saw red.

"Well, Jacob." I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down. "You really want that to happen?"

"So what if I do?" He countered, squaring up to me. Sam and Embry moved to stand beside me, grateful expressions on their faces. I gave them small smiles in thanks before staring back at Jacob.

"My question is why?"

"Because." He shrugged. He didn't give me any further response than that.

"That's not good enough Jacob." I rolled my eyes at him. "You know, come to think of it there is no real reason for your behaviour towards Edward. He has done nothing wrong. If this is something to do with me, then take it out on me, but leave Edward out of it. You have no idea what he's been through." I could feel my face heating up, and for once it wasn't out of embarrassment. It was out of anger, frustration whatever you want to call it, that's what I was feeling.

"Well," He huffed. "As it so happens, he's the one I've got a problem with." He shrugged. "Not you, so....you really don't have to say anything to me."

"Actually, you know what, I really do, because you have no idea what you could have done." I countered.

"Like I care." He snapped.

"How can you be so heartless?" I asked, not believing what I was hearing. Did he really not care about another person's feelings, about his life. This was not the Jacob that I had known, the one who used to be my friend.

"I'm not being heartless." He countered. "I don't think that he's good enough for you. I won't stop believing that, no matter how many people tell me that I should be believing otherwise." He shrugged again. "Is there any problem with me looking out for my best friend."

"But you're not being fair Jake." Sam interrupted. "Bella is obviously in love with Edward, and you, as her friend, should be supportive of her. In a friendship you can't be a friend, Judge and Jury at the same time. That's not how it works Jake. In a friendship you back your friend, no matter what you think. You should be happy for Bella. She's found someone that she loves, and you know, not many people find that person."

I gave Sam a thankful smile. I knew that he knew what he was talking about. He _had_ found the one that he would love forever. His fiance Emily was one of the loveliest people that I've ever met. Both she and Sam had just been through horrible break-ups when they met, and it was a blessing that they had found each other. They were perfect together.

"But that doesn't fit in with_ his_ plan does it Jake?" I snapped at him, knowing that what I was about to say would really get to him. "You want Edward and I to break up, in the hopes that I'll come running to you in thanks for you _saving_ me from him. That's it isn't it Jacob?" He didn't say anything but just stood there seething at me. I smirked at him, knowing that I had hit the nail on the head. "Thought so."

"Do you know how warped that is Jake?" Embry cut in. "I mean, you're willing for Bella to hurt just because you can't have what you want? Newflash, Jake. We don't all get what we want in life."

"Don't you think I know that?" Jacob was glaring at Embry and Sam now, obviously pissed that his friends were taking my side over his. "I just don't think that he's right for you."

"And why not?" I took a step towards him. "Because he's not you?" Again he didn't say anything. "How is he not right for me Jacob? He's kind and loving, he smart and caring, he's funny, he's sweet, he's stronger than anyone else I'll ever know-"

"And hows that?"

I took a deep breath through my nose, setting my jaw as I did so. "Because he has been through so much and yet he has fought it. Yes, he might have succumbed to his guilt and grief and taken it out on himself, but he's turned that around. He's moved on and wants to start his life over. You think he doesn't deserve me? When in actual fact its me who doesn't deserve him. He has done everything he can to turn his life around. He knows and has accepted and admitted that how he lived his life was wrong, and he's trying to make amends for that now. And I don't see you doing the same thing." I looked him up and down. "In my opinion, he's ten times the man you'll ever be. I love him Jacob, and you behaving like this....it's only strengthening that love. Now," I took another step forwards. "You can either man up, admit what you did was wrong, apologise to Edward and tell my mother that you made everything that you told her up. Or, I will never _ever_ talk to you again. And I'm telling you, that even if you do do those things, there's a very good chance that I won't talk to you again anyway."

"So why should I?" His eyes narrowed at me. "If you're not going to talk to me again anyway, why should I do those things? If it means that he'll be away from you, then I don't think I will."

"Because it won't only be Bella that you'll lose as a friend, Jacob." Sam snapped. He must be really mad because he only called Jake "Jacob" when he was either really pissed at him, or was winding him up. And I don't think Sam was in the mood for winding Jacob up. "Embry and Seth told us what Edward said on the beach the other day, and you should know more than anyone how hard it is to lose one parent let alone two." Sam was going for the blows that would really hurt Jacob now. But being perfectly honest, I didn't care. He deserved it. "And in such a way. At least you got a chance to say goodbye to your mother. Having _both_ of your parents taken from you like that. It would fuck up even the strongest of people." Wow. Sam must be _really _pissed. Like Carlisle, Sam never swore. That is unless he was really close to losing it. I turned around and placed a hand on Sam's arm. I saw him visibly relax. But only slightly. He was still really pissed at Jacob.

"Sam's right Jacob." I turned back to face him. "Can you honestly say that if you had witnessed both of your parents dying like that, it wouldn't have affected you? What would you do if Billy died like that tomorrow? What would you do if say, like Edward and his parents, you were in a car crash and the only one to survive was you? If you say that you could walk away from something like that then....then you're even more cold-hearted than I thought you were." He didn't say anything, and I knew that we were right. He didn't know what he would do. I knew he didn't. He had no further argument. "Now, I want you to first call my mother and tell her that what you told her was a lie. And then I want you to apologise to Edward. No, wait, scratch that. I don't want you to come anywhere near Edward again. Ever. I want you to stay away from Edward, the Cullens and me."

With that I stormed out of the shed. I didn't need to look back to know that Sam and Embry were following me.

"Bella." Sam called, but I didn't stop. I heard them running behind me. "Bells." He came in front of me and I stopped, trying desperately to not let the tears that were welling up in my eyes. _Stupid trait_. I thought. I had a habit of bursting into tears whenever I was really angry. I didn't want to cry in front of these two. They might take it the wrong way and think that I was crying because of what I had said to Jacob. "Are you okay?" I nodded. "You sure?"

"Yeah," I whispered, blinking the tears away. I gave the two of them a small smile.

"You want a ride home?" Embry asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I smiled at him gratefully.

"No." I shook my head and the two of them looked confused. "I want to go to the Cullens."

"You want us to take you?" Sam offered, giving me a small smile.

"Are you sure?" I asked, not wanting to put them out or anything. "I mean, I don't want to inconvenience you guys or anything."

"It's no problem Bells." Embry reassured me. "Actually, I kind of wanted to talk to Edward.....you know....apologise for what happened on the beach. You reckon that he'd talk to me?"

"Yeah," It was my turn to reassure him. "Yeah. I think he knows that you didn't know that what Jacob told you was a lie. I'm sure that he'll talk to you. He's a pretty understanding guy."

"That's good, then." Sam chuckled. "Okay, then. You want to go tell Charlie that we're taking you there?" I nodded and made my way towards the house.

"Dad?" I called upon entering the house and I heard a murmur come from the sitting room. "Dad? Um, Sam and Embry are going to take me to the Cullens, if that's okay."

"Of course it is, Bells." Charlie gave me a reassuring smile and I turned to see Billy sat there with a shocked expression on his face.

"Bella." He wheeled towards me slightly. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea of what Jacob had done. I didn't realise that he had phoned Renee and told her all that stuff about Edward. I know it's a lie, and so does he. I hope that the two of you can talk to Renee and get it all sorted."

"I hope so too, Billy." I sighed. "And thanks. I'm off now, okay Dad?" I looked at him and saw that he had a slightly shady expression on his face. "Dad? Are you okay?"

"Hm?" He looked at me, breaking off whatever train of thought he had been on. "Yeah, course I am. Go have fun with the Cullens. Tell them all I say "hi"."

I smiled at them and waved, following Sam and Embry out of the house.

"I don't think that it's a good idea for us to take the bikes do you?" Sam asked, turning his torso as he walked to look back at me and I shook my head. Edward would not approve of that, and I didn't want to take that risk. Not that I didn't trust the two of them, but I didn't trust the bikes. No matter how shiny they were. "Okay, then. Gimme a sec and I'll run to mine and get my truck. We can take the bikes with us, as I'm not really in the mood to come back here any time soon." He sighed. "Not while Jacob's behaving the way he is anyway. Wait here."

Embry and I waited in front of the Black's house by the bikes while Sam ran to his house to pick up his truck, well, his father's truck. We sat on the porch step in a relatively comfortable silence. Embry seemed a little agitated. He was probably worrying about how Edward was going to react to his being there, after what had happened on the beach.

"Hey," I placed a hand on his. "Don't worry about it. It'll be fine." He gave me a wry smile, but didn't relax.

A few minutes later, Sam reappeared in his father's sky blue truck. It looked a lot like mine, other than the colour and his was a lot newer than mine was. Whereas I think mine might have been new in the seventies or somewhere around that time, Sam's was only about ten years old and wasn't a growling monster like mine was. As soon as he parked, he and Embry hauled the bikes up into the back and we all climbed in. The cab in his truck was also a lot more spacious than mine was. Whereas, mine could only hold two people, Sam's could fit three people easily and it was surprisingly spacious, even with two huge lugs like Sam and Embry either side of me.

I gave them directions to the Cullens house and yet, even with my instructions, Sam still nearly missed the turn-off to their driveway.

"Bit concealed isn't it?" He asked as we started up the long, winding driveway.

"That's the point." I said rolling my eyes and the two of them chuckled at me.

As we turned the corner that brought the Cullen's house into view I looked at the two of them. Embry's mouth had dropped open slightly and Sam's eyes had gone wide. I heard Sam let out a low whistle, showing that he was impressed with what he saw.

"Whoa." Embry whispered. I smiled. I had had pretty much the same reaction to the Cullen's house when I had first seen it, but over time, even though it was still impressive to look at, the people that dwelled inside had become more important and impressive than the building itself. Sam stopped the truck and sat there in silence, not moving. I saw his eyes raking over the various vehicles that where sat in the driveway. I noticed that his eyes lingered longingly on Emmett's Jeep and I chuckled.

"Okay, you two." I said, still laughing. "Stop ogling the building and cars, and let's go." I nudged Embry slightly and he snapped back to life. I climbed out after him and waited while Sam locked the truck. Not that it was needed up here, as the only ones here were the Cullens. Hardly anybody else came up this far, and if they did, it was usually hikers who had gotten lost in the woods that stretched far behind the Cullen home.

"Okay, then." Sam said letting out a deep breath. "Let's go meet loverboy." I shot him a death glare and he chuckled at me. I turned around smiling. I knew it was all in fun and that they were really happy that I had found someone like Edward.

I walked up to the house, digging in my pocket for the keys to the house. Finding the right one and placing it into the door I turned to see Sam and Embry standing there with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Hey," I said shrugging. "We're close." That was the only explanation I gave them as I opened the door and walked in. "Hello?" I called as I slipped off my jacket and shoes. I turned and saw that Sam and Embry were still standing outside. "Come on in." I waved them inside and they stepped over the threshold tentatively. "Come on you guys. No one's going to eat you."

"Bella!" Alice cried, bouncing up to me. She threw her arms around me giggling.

"Whoa! Okay Alice. I only saw you at school." I choked out against the pixie's death-grip.

"So?" She pulled back, pouting at me. "Is it wrong for me to miss my best friend?" She cocked her head to the side, noticing Sam and Embry standing in the doorway. "And who are these two?"

"Oh, this is Sam. He's a friend of mine from La Push. And this is Embry. You guys met him the other day at the beach." I pointed between the two of them. Alice smiled at both of them, still bouncing up and down. I turned to look at the two of them and they wore expressions of surprise. Probably due to Alice's extreme energy overload. "Guys, this is Alice. She's Edward's little sister. And yes, she's like this all of the time." Neither of them relaxed, but they looked at each other with worried expressions. I turned back to Alice, chuckling at their responses to the hyperactive squirt in front of them. "Alice, where's Edward?"

"He's in his room." She giggled looking at the two of them. "Come on in, you two." She leapt forward and stood in between the two of them, grabbing a hand each. She began to pull them towards the living room. "Oops. You've gotta take your shoes off first." I nodded and they did as they were told. They've only only Alice for a matter of moments and she already had the two of them whipped. New record for Alice methinks. They shot me worried glances and I gave them looks that said "don't argue, you won't win." With that they allowed themselves to be led into the living room by Alice. I was silently hoping that Emmett and Jasper wouldn't jump them while I was upstairs with Edward. But then again, they had seen Embry defending Edward on the beach so I figured that they were safe. For now at least.

I made my way up the stairs to Edward's room quickly, praying that I wouldn't fall down the stairs as I went. I knocked on his door quietly, but didn't get a response.

"Edward?" I opened the door, and didn't see him in there. "Edward?" I was getting a little worried now, but then I remembered that the last time I hadn't seen him when I opened the door he had been on the couch reading. I made my way around to where I could see the couch and me being me, tripped over nothing. I braced myself for the face plant that I was no doubtedly going to make, and yet the floor never met me. Instead I was stopped by a pair of arms wrapping themselves around my waist and holding me to the person's chest. I inhaled and breathed in the beautiful scent of my love.

"Clumsy as always love?" I heard him whisper in my ear, chuckling.

"Well." I shrugged playfully, turning myself around in his arms, facing him. "You know me. I can't help it." I kissed his lower jaw tenderly. "Besides, I like falling into your arms." He chuckled and pressed his lips to mine. "Come on." I unwrapped his arms from my waist as I broke the kiss. "There are some people downstairs who want to talk to you." His brow furrowed as his eyes narrowed, not fully trusting me. "It's okay. They don't bite. Much." He frowned and I giggled, leading him downstairs.

I led him into the living room, where Sam and Embry seemed to be getting along with the Cullens well enough. They had obviously explained what had happened earlier today as the Cullens were laughing and joking with them.

"Hey Bells." Emmett cried as we walked into the room. "Heard you gave Jacob what for, huh?" He grinned at me and I stiffened.

"Um, what?" Edward asked quietly, looking at me.

"I um, went to see Jacob today after school." He raised his eyebrows at me. "It was no big deal. I just decided that I'd had enough and I wanted it over and done with. I told him to leave all of us alone. Whether or not he'll listen is another question all together but .... for what it's worth, I tried." He kissed the top of my head gently. "You're not mad?"

"What would I have to be mad about?" He asked, looking confused. "I mean, yeah I'm not happy that you went to see him without telling me, but you did what you felt you had to do. How can I be mad at you for that?"

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning on his chest. "I love you." I whispered.

"As I love you." He whispered back, running a hand through my hair.

"Wow, Bells, you were right." Sam said grinning. "I think if I were you Ed, I would have blown up. You know the whole "how could you be so stupid?" routine." He shrugged. "But then again that's just me."

"Edward, please." He corrected Sam. "I don't like nicknames." He explained as Sam raised his eyebrows in a perplexed manner. "And besides, Bella went with her instincts. She did what she thought was best for everybody. Whether or not is was for the best remains to be seen, but, in the meantime, she made a decision and followed through. How can I be mad at her for doing what she thought was right?" He shrugged. "Besides, it all in the past now and no amount of me shouting and accusing her is going to change that. What's done is done."

Sam let out a low whistle. "Jeez, Bells. I thought you were kidding."

"Huh?" Edward looked at me confused.

"Never mind." I smiled as he narrowed his eyes at me. "Doesn't matter." I stood on my tip toes and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips, leaving him more confused than before. I led him round to sit on the sofa and we flopped down. I settled myself in next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Hey, Edward." Embry turned to look at us. "I just wanna say, I'm sorry for what happened on the beach. I mean, it was wrong of us to believe Jacob like that, without getting all of the facts first. I know that Seth's sorry too, and I just want to make sure that you know, we're sorry for what we said and-"

Edward held up a hand, stopping him. "It's okay." He said softly, looking Embry in the eye. "I know where you're coming from. You were backing up your friend. There's no shame in that. Yeah, you should have gotten all the facts but still, I can't blame you for not knowing everything. It's okay." He took a deep breath. "Honestly, it must have been hard for you to say that. Thank you." He smiled at Embry and I saw Embry visibly relax and smile back.

After that was out of the way, the jokes and laughter resumed in the living room. Everything felt perfect. I had people from both worlds in this one room, getting along. It was something that, ever since this ruccus with Jacob, would never happen. But it was. It was happening right in front of my eyes and I couldn't be happier.

"Hey," Sam piped up over the laughter. "Here's a thought. There's a barbeque slash party slash gathering thing happening on the cliffs on the res when school gets out in a couple of weeks. Why don't you guys come?" He asked looking around. Everyone grinned at him. I looked at Edward who was smiling but there was a reserved look in his eyes. Parties meant eating in public. Not something he was fully okay with yet. I put a hand on his chest letting him know that it was okay and he looked at me. "If you'd like that is. I mean there are a lot of people who go from Forks, so it wouldn't just be you guys mixed in with a load of kids from the res."

"What do you think?" I asked looking up at Edward.

"Sounds great." He said before leaning down to kiss me.

What the hell did I do to deserve someone like him?

**Just want to say thanks for putting up with the whininess over the last couple of chapters.  
I don't know....I guess it's just an insecurity thing.  
There'll be one more chapter on this day and then I'll be skipping three weeks ahead to the party.  
Please review.  
Enjoy.  
xx**


	25. Are You Mad?

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Am loving all the reviews so far :D I know I may sound needy but please keep 'em coming. They inspire me to write :D**

**Also, I went to check my post today, and I received a letter and a package, both from a girl I haven't spoken to in literally _years_. She'd written me like a five page letter - hand-written as well - and she remarked on how much she liked my stories. I was like WTF?! I literally haven't seen or spoken to this girl since I was in year 8 - not sure what that is for people in USA or other countries but I was 12 when I last saw her, so I guess you can work it out from there - and I'm 20 and in university now. I won't tell you what she wrote in the whole letter because it is ridiculously long, but she told me what I have been reading from you guys in your reviews. I've never really put much into my writing skills but 1000+ reviews (from Saving Edward and Alive Again combined) can start to change a girls' mind you know. I want to say thanks for all the reviews. You guys are really starting to make me believe that I might be a bit of an okay writer. Not that I believe it fully, but I'm starting to.**

**Thanks again for all of your lovely reviews.**

**Anyways, I'm going to shut up now and carry on with the story.**

**EPOV**

To say that I was a little nervous when I saw the two guys sat in the living room would be a lie. Being honest, I was more than nervous. And hopefully that didn't come through in my behaviour.

I recognised one of the guys as the unnamed one at the beach with Jacob. He looked just as nervous as I felt, and I knew it must have been slightly daunting for him to be here, in my home, surrounded by my family.

The other guy I didn't know, but I saw that he had the same dark skin and hair that Jacob, Seth and the other guy (whom I was later told to be called Embry) had, so I deduced that he was from the reservation along with the others.

I didn't really know what I was expecting but I was surprised at the way they fit in so well, so quickly with the family. I had been taken aback when Embry had apologised for his behaviour on the beach. I knew that he hadn't known the full story, only Jacob's warped view of it, so I didn't really blame him for his behaviour. And I had told him that, sincerely. I didn't blame him. After all, they had been friends for a long time.

I wasn't too impressed with the news that Bella had been to see Jacob, but she was doing what she thought was right. What she thought would help. And honestly, how could I be mad at her when I had done exactly the same thing in calling Renee. I couldn't be mad at Bella full stop. She just had that effect on me. Even if I could I didn't think I would be. She might not have told me that she was going to see Jacob, but I could see why she didn't. I think it was for the same reason that I didn't tell her that I was going to call Renee. She probably thought that I would try and convince her not to go, just as she would try to convince me not to call Renee. I wouldn't have stopped her from going, as I knew that it was something that she needed to do. I would have worried like hell about her, but I wouldn't have stopped her.

The two of them were considerably laid back, seeing as they hadn't really spent any time with my family other than on the beach. Unless they had met up other than that without my knowledge. And if they had who could blame them? They seemed like good guys.

The only time, after meeting Sam and Embry, that I felt nervous was when Sam suggested the barbeque on the reservation in a couple of weeks. It didn't escape my notice how he invite the whole family rather than just Bella. Sam didn't seem like the kind of guy who would invite people to something like that without liking them, unlike other people would. I couldn't help but smile at his kindness even though inside of me I was panicking a little.

When they left, Emmett and Jasper had plans to meet up with them for a two-on-two football match on the beach one afternoon next week. I thought that it was great that the two of them were getting on so well with my brothers. Normally, my brothers, or anyone in my family for that matter, took a while to warm up to anyone. So seeing them like this with Embry and Sam was something that made me smile.

I went back to the living room with Bella and we sat down on the loveseat that was opposite the TV. She wrapped her legs around mine and burrowed her head into my chest, sighing softly. I kissed the top of her head and ran my fingers through her hair gently.

"Are you sure you're okay that I went to see Jacob?" She mumbled against my chest, before turning her head to look up at me.

I looked down at her and smiled. "Yeah." I reassured her. "I told you. I know that you did what you thought was right. Like I said, whether or not it was for the best, we'll have to wait and see, but....you went with your instincts and what you thought was best. How can I hold that against you? How can I be mad at you for going with your heart and mind?" I kissed her forehead as she looked up at me. "Those are some of the things that I love about you. You follow your heart. Not many people don't have the courage or the heart to do that."

She sighed and reached up, pressing her lips to my jaw. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" She whispered and I pressed my lips to hers. She smiled at me as we broke the kiss. "So....what did you do today?"

I bit my lip, hoping that she wouldn't kill be for calling her mother without telling her. "Well ... I kind of need to talk to you about something." I confessed and she gave me a confused look.

"What's wrong, love?" She sounded worried now.

"Nothing's wrong. I think." I looked at her cautiously, trying to gauge her reaction. "I, um, I called your mom today." I whispered the last part looking away from her eyes, down at our intertwined.

"You did what?" I still didn't look at her, but her tone told me that she wasn't happy. "Edward, why did you do that?" She took my face in her hands and forced me to look at her. "Why, Edward?"

"Because I wanted her to know the truth." I told her straight, not wanting to keep anything from her. "I thought that if _I_ could explain to her what really happened in my past, and I thought that maybe if she heard it straight from me it would....I don't know....aid her in reconsidering wanting you back." I said the last part with a cautious air about me. I didn't know what she was thinking or what she was going to do. Bella had been an unusually hard person to read, even though I had spent a _lot_ of time with her since I met her. I still didn't know how to read her. Which was very frustrating, as most people I could read like an open book.

"Oh, Edward," I couldn't tell whether she was angry, disappointed or what. "You didn't have to do that for me." She looked me in the eye and I saw that there was a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. "I mean, Charlie and I have been trying to get through to her since she told us, but with no luck."

"I know that," I told her. "That's why I thought that it might help hearing it from the horses' mouth. As it were." She chuckled slightly, and I thanked god for the sound. I didn't know whether I could handle being on Bella's bad side. "You're not mad?" I asked my brow furrowing.

She gave me a quick kiss and grinned. "No," She sighed. "No I'm not. Like you said, your heart told you where to go and you listened to it." I smiled at her. "And besides, I can't really be mad at you, when I went to see Jacob without telling you." She grinned at me as I rolled my eyes. "So I guess we're even."

"If you're mad you can tell me." I told her. "You don't have to pretend your not because you went to see him."

"That's the point though." She chuckled. "I'm not mad. Just tell me next time you plan to call her."

"Well, I didn't really plan on calling her. It was just a spur of the moment thing." I explained, intertwining our hands again. I had missed the feel of them on my skin and I needed that back. Even if we were entangled in a mess of arms and legs on the loveseat.

She thought for a moment. "Hey!" She exclaimed suddenly, making me jump. "How did you get my mom's number anyway? I don't remember giving it to you, and I had my phone with me in school, so...."

"I, um, kinda went to see your dad." I bit my lip again.

"What?! You asked Charlie?!" I nodded, slowly. "And I saw him this afternoon! He could have said something to me about it."

"Well maybe he just didn't want to upset you. Or..." I offered. "Maybe he thought that it would be better that you heard it from me instead of him. I don't know, but I'm sure he had a good reason for not telling you."

She huffed and folded her arms, sitting there thinking. I hoped that it wasn't me she was mad at. Her eyes grew slightly wider as she realised something and turned to me. "Oh, yeah." She said softly. "I forgot to tell you."

"What?" I asked, using up my turn to be confused in this conversation.

"Charlie knows." She whispered. I cocked my head to the side, silently asking her to ellaborate. "That we're engaged."

I could feel my eyes grow wide. "What? How? When-" She placed a hand over my lips to stop me.

"This afternoon before I went to Jacob's. I wanted my dad there, you know, as kind of a moral back-up, because believe it or not, my dad actually likes you." She told me softly. I nodded and pressed my lips into her finger, earning a small giggle from her. "And anyway, Jacob knows that we're engaged, and I know that he's going to have told Billy, and I didn't want him to hear it from either of them, especially in the middle of an argument. I would have waited until you were there as well, but I knew that if I didn't get this stuff with Jacob over and done with soon, I never would. So I told him." Her face creased up in slight worry. "Are you mad?"

"No," I said, removing her finger from my lips and kissing it again gently. "I'm more worried." Her brow creased in confusion again. "About when I should expect Charlie round to castrate me."

She laughed. "He won't be around. Like I said, he likes you. He was actually okay about it. Which I was confused about. I was expecting him to blow up at me, but he just....didn't. He sat there for a minute or so after I told him. He looked pretty calm, and then he asked to see the ring." I raised my eyebrow, waiting for her to tell me her father's verdict. "Well, the whistle that he let out at seeing it told me that he liked it." I grinned.

"So he's really alright with it?" I was skeptical. Even with her reassurance I was still nervous about the next time I had to face Charlie now that he knew I intended to marry his daughter. "I mean really? You're not sugar coating anything are you?"

She shook her head. "Though he didn't look too impressed when he thought that you'd gotten me pregnant." I felt my eyes widen and she laughed. "When I told him that there was something I needed to tell him, he automatically thought that I was pregnant." I relaxed slightly. "I won't be, don't worry. I'm on the pill." I nodded and leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. "I love you." She mumbled against my lips.

"As I love you." I breathed placing a soft kiss onto her nose. She giggled and pulled me down for another kiss, to which I had no objection.

"Ahem!" Someone cleared their throat behind us and we broke apart, sheepish grins on both our faces. "Getting cosy are we?" I looked behind me to see Alice and Rosalie standing there. Alice had her arms crossed over her chest and Rosalie had her hands on her hips. They were both staring at us, huge grins on their faces.

"Maybe." Bella said, smugly, leaning her head on my chest. I chuckled and kissed her on the forehead.

"Aww!" I heard the two of them squeal and I rolled my eyes.

"You two are so cute!" Alice squealed sitting on the sofa that was adjacent to the loveseat.

"You _really_ are!" Rosalie smiled widely at the two of us before taking a seat next to Alice. "You are _perfect_ together."

"Yes, and the two of you are ruining a _perfect_ couplely moment!" Bella shot at the two of them, giving them both evil glares. I couldn't help but laugh. For the first time, Alice and Rose actually looked a little scared of Bella. They knew how much we both treasured our relationship. It was quite funny to see.

"Love?" I whispered in her ear. "It's alright. They're just jealous."

"Hell yeah!" They both cried.

"Language!" I heard Carlisle shout from the other room and we all cracked up laughing. Trust him to hear bad language when he was in other parts of the house. Although I will admit, it could have been a lot worse.

"Seriously." Rose carried on after our laughing fit was over. "I would give anything to have what you guys have. Just looking at the two of you makes me want to sit down with a trashy romantic movie and my two best friends. Ben and Jerry." She grinned at her little joke and I couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, why don't we?" Alice suggested. "I mean, the lovebirds might be sat there, but we can still watch a girly romantic movie." She smirked at the two of us and we stared back. I honestly didn't care if they wanted to watch a girly movie. As long as I was with Bella, I didn't care. Some might say that I was whipped. But I saw myself as being in love instead.

They grinned at each other as Alice went to chose a movie and Rosalie went to get the ice cream.

"Why don't we stay, just to annoy them?" Bella suggested, smirking at me evilly.

I grinned at her. "That is a perfect idea." I leaned down and kissed her.

"Hey Rose!" Bella called, nearly deafening me. "Sorry love." She said to me. "Can you bring us some ice cream!"

"Rocky Road?" She called, knowing that we would have her favourite flavour of ice cream in the freezer somewhere.

"Yeah!" Bella shouted back. I made a point to move my head slightly this time, not that it did any good. "Two spoons!" She called and I looked at her inquisitively. "You know, just in case you might want to try some." She smiled at me sheepishly and I kissed her forehead.

Rosalie walked back in and handed Bella her tub of ice cream, and I rolled my eyes at how big it was. She pouted at me and I gave her a chaste kiss, causing her to smile and her eyes to glaze over. I chuckled as I turned to Rosalie who was smirking at me.

"The two of you really are too cute for words." She placed Alice's tub of ice cream on the coffee table and curled up underneath a blanket on the sofa with her own tub of ice cream and dug in.

"Aren't you supposed to wait until the movie to start before you start with the ice cream?" I asked her and she shrugged as Alice walked in. "What you got there?" I asked her as she placed a DVD into the player.

"You'll have to wait and see." She said smirking. I knew that face. It was obviously a really girly film that she had put in. I didn't really care. I would probably pay more attention to Bella than the movie.

She pressed play and settled herself down on the sofa next to Rosalie, grabbing her ice cream and sliding under the blanket that Rose had brought in with her. The movie started and I rolled my eyes at the title of the film.

"A Walk To Remember?" I asked her questioningly. "You know this film makes Bella cry."

"Really?" She asked in mock surprise and I shook my head at her, accusing her with my eyes. "Oh, I must have forgotten."

I shook my head again and rested it on Bella's, which was now leaning against my chest. I kissed the top of her head and she sighed.

Alice and Rose were right. No matter what doubts I may have had or may have in the future about my relationship with Bella, everything was perfect. I had her and she was all I needed to feel content.

And it was moments like these that proved it.

**Sorry it's a little short, but it felt natural to end it there. It just felt right.  
The next chapter will be a longer one. I can feel that now. :)  
Please review  
xxx**


	26. Cliff Top Party Pt 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**I've had a couple of you PM me, asking what was in the package that my friend sent me, and to be honest, I was so taken aback by the letter that I'd forgotten all about it. I opened it last night and saw that she'd sent me the wristcuff Edward wears in the film. I phoned her to thank her and she told me that it was because I had mentioned the Cullen crest in "Saving Edward" and I was like awwwww. I haven't spoken to this girl for nearly eight years and she gets me this. She's so lovely. Yeah, I had a couple of you asking so I thought I'd tell you. It makes me grin when I look at it. :D**

**Anyways, on with the story!!**

**EPOV**

If I told you that the next three weeks passed quickly, I would be lying. Whilst Bella was at school, forcibly mind you, the day went torturously slowly.

While the others were at school, I had to find ways to occupy my days. I spent a lot of the time walking in the woods that lay to the back of the house. There were a lot of trails out there, and I found myself being occupied for hours on end. I know it may sound girly and daft, but I enjoyed walking, being surrounded by the forests and nothing else. It made me feel like more than I am, in some way. It's hard to explain.

Today was the day of the party that was being held at La Push. I didn't know what was going to happen, but all I knew at the moment, Alice was creating a whirlwind in her closet, picking out clothes for Bella, Rosalie and herself. Apparently, this party was like the official start to the summer, and it was something everybody went to, not matter what your social status.

Bella thought that she would be able to hide in my room. It was working for the time being. She had shoved me into my room and locked the two of us in there together. I had to laugh at her panicked face when Alice had come thundering through the front door. Yes, even though she is small and pixie-like, she can still make one hell of a racket. On some level, Bella knew that she wouldn't be able to escape Alice's torture for long, but she was trying to delay it for as long as possible. I thought it was amusing that she was afraid of my little sister. But then again, on some level, I think even _Emmett_ was afraid of Alice. Especially when it came to fashion and all that that entailed.

Alice had managed to abduct Bella from my room and had "held her hostage" as Bella called it for around an hour. She had also made it her mission to decide what us guys were going to wear. Something that Emmett and Jasper weren't too happy about and had fought her on. It seemed that I was the only one who realised that there was no point in fighting Alice on anything, as she always won. She grinned at me when I didn't put up a fight and Jasper and Emmett called me a wuss. I just turned around and said that I didn't feel like enduring any pixie-wrath today and they seemed to agree after a while.

Alice had laid out my outfit on my bed, and I noticed that she had taken the liberty of buying this when on her latest shopping trip as I didn't recognise any off it. She had given me dark blue button down shirt, which was rolled up to the elbow and a longsleeved white cotton t-shirt. I had to thank Alice for that. She knew that I was sensitive about my scars, but at the same time I knew that she was particular about how everybody looked. Not just the girls. She had paired these with some dark grey jeans. I put it on without a fuss and went downstairs, meeting Emmett and Jasper in the foyer.

I noticed that Alice had given them the same outfit as me, except Emmett was wearing a deep burgundy shirt and Jasper was wearing an emerald green one. I chuckled to myself and the other two grinned at me sheepishly, before turning to look at the stairs, their mouths falling open slightly.

I turned to see what they were looking at and my gaze fell immediately on Bella. She looked amazing. I could now see why Alice had chosen what she had for us guys. The girls were weaing the same, only they were the women's substitutes obviously.

I turned to look at Jasper and Emmett and saw that they were still staring. "Dudes." I called and they snapped out of it. "Those are your sisters."

"Not all of 'em." Emmett smirked, wiggling his eyebrows evilly.

"Hey," I pointed at him threateningly. "That's my fiancee you're talking about."

"I know, I know." Emmett raised his hands in submission. "She's looking fine though."

Scowling at him once more, I looked back up at Bella, smiling at her as she walked down the stairs. She was wearing a dark blue - a blue that I had named Bella-blue, as it suited her perfectly - shirt, with a white camisole underneath. She was also wearing dark grey jeans. Jeans that clung to her perfect legs in all the right places. I couldn't keep my eyes away. I knew that from my brother's reactions that my sisters must have looked good as well, but I didn't see them. All I saw was Bella.

"Hey there." She said as she got to the bottom of the stairs, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"You look beautiful." I whispered, pressing my lips to hers.

She giggled as she pulled away. "Thank you." She smiled at me. "You don't look too bad yourself." She giggled again, pressing her lips to mine softly.

"Okay, if you guys are done with the current PDA, which is cute, I'll admit, shall we go?" Alice called and Bella and I broke apart, smirking. I looked at the others and saw that Alice and Rose were dressed the same way as Bella, only Alice was wearing an emerald green shirt to match Jasper's and Rose was wearing a burgundy shirt to match Emmett's. If we weren't all related, other than Bella of course, we would look very couply. It was relatively warm outside so we didn't bother with jackets at the moment, so we threw them over our shoulders and arms, ready to throw in the backs of our cars when we got to them, ready to grab when we needed them.

I walked hand in hand with Bella to my Volvo. I walked around to her side of the car, opening the door for her and she slid in smiling.

"Why thank you, kind sir." She grinned in the worst english accent I had ever heard.

"Anything for you, m'lady." I gave her a mock bow as I closed the door and she giggled. If only she knew how true those words were. I would do anything for Bella. Anything at all. I climbed in the drivers side and threw my jacket along with Bella's onto the backseat. I started the car and made my way down the driveway, not bothering to wait for the others as I knew that it would take forever for them to get themselves sorted. Besides, I had Bella in the front seat so I didn't have to worry about getting lost.

Bella took one of my hands off of the steering wheel and intertwined my fingers with hers, smiling at me.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her, seeing the guarded look in her eyes. She could usually hide this look from other people, but I knew her too well for it to be effective on me.

"Yeah." She sighed, looking out the window.

I squeezed her hand gently. "What's wrong love? And don't say "nothing" or "I'm fine" because you know I'll know you're lying." She raised her eyebrows at me, questioningly. "Honestly, love, you're not the best liar in the world, and you're talking to someone who has years of experience." I smiled at her again. "What's wrong?"

She sighed and looked at me. "Renee's been calling me nonstop for the last week or so. I picked up the first couple of times, but each time turned into a screaming match, so I've jsut been ignoring her. She's been leaving me messages and everything and I just....." She broke off and I could hear the tears in her voice. I hated the fact that I had caused her to feel bad by bringing it up.

I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed her knuckles softly. "It's okay, love." I whispered and she nodded.

We continued the journey in comfortable silence until we entered La Push and Bella gave me directions to the cliffs. Getting there I saw that there were already a fair number of cars and people here. They hadn't been kidding when they said that everybody turned up.

"Argh!" I heard Bella fuming from next to me as her phone rang. I raised my eyebrows at her. "Renee! Doesn't she get the hint?" I held my hand out to her and she looked at me nervously. "What?"

"Gimme the phone." I waved my hand at her, insisting she give it to me before it stopped ringing. "Come on! Gimme!" She handed it over reluctantly. I flipped it open and placed it on speakerphone so that Bella could hear. I pressed a finger to my lips indicating for Bella to be quiet before I spoke. "Hello?"

"Who's this?" I heard Renee asking, confused.

"This is Edward." I said grinning at Bella, who looked terrified. "Who may I ask is this?"

"This is Renee, Bella's _mother._" She spat at me. "Where is my daughter? Why do you have her phone? I want to speak to her."

"I'm afraid Bella is unavailable right now." I put on a fake cheery voice, like the one you hear on a voicemail or a call centre and watched Bella as she stifled a giggle. I shot her a warning glance and she pressed her lips together, trying to be quiet. "Can I take a message?"

"No." Renee growled. "You can put my daughter on the phone."

"I'm sorry, but Bella is still unavailable." I replied in the same voice and it was my turn to stifle a laugh as I saw Bella beginning to turn different colours due to her attempts at not laughing.

"Where is she?"

"I'm afraid that information is confidential." I was working hard not to laugh as I saw Bella's reactions. She had placed her hand over her mouth, muffling any sound that threatened to come out. I mock glared at her and pressed a finger to my lips. She shot me a look that said "I'm trying". To be fair it was quite funny.

"What?" Renee sounded shocked at the idea that I wouldn't tell her where her daughter was.

"The information regarding your daughter is confidential, I'm afraid." I turned to look away from Bella, fearing that watching her would cause me to laugh out loud, something I couldn't do while Renee was still on the phone. "If you're unwilling to leave a message then I am afraid I'm going to have to end this conversation. I have many things that you're daugher wishes me to _attend to_." I added in a suggestive tone. I looked at Bella and saw her mouth drop in horror. It didn't last for long though as we heard Renee's reaction.

"What is that supposed to mean? What are you doing to my daughter? Where is she? I want to talk to my daughter, _now_! She has some explaining to do, especially after that last comment, young man!" She sounded angry and that only made it harder for us not to laugh. My sides were beginning to hurt from all the contained laughter, but miraculously I managed to keep my voice level.

"I'm afraid that no information concerning your daughter can be divulaged at the present time. I also regret to inform you that I have to end the conversation now. Your daughter's needs do keep me _very _busy indeed. Bye now." I closed the phone and we both erupted into laughter, holding our sides.

"Oh. My. God!" She panted in between giggles and gasps for air. "That was priceless." She turned to look at me. I could see that she had tears threatening to fall. I handed her a tissue before they could fall, knowing what would happen if they were to ruin her make-up. The wrath of Alice popped into mind. "That was genius." She sat up straight and whacked my shoulder.

"Ow!" I grabbed my shoulder in mock pain, even though it hadn't hurt at all. She rolled her eyes at me. "What was that for?"

"Things to "_attend to_"? "Your daughter's needs"?" She raised her eyebrows at me and shrugged.

"Well." I grinned at her and she laughed.

"You, Edward Cullen are incorrigible." She leaned over and kissed me.

"I try." I grinned.

"You do know she's probably going to phone back. Or phone Charlie and tell him what you said to her." She sounded wary.

"Well," I thought for a moment. "I think it's safe to say that I'm in better books with Charlie than Renee is, right?" She nodded. "Then, we just tell him what I said, and that I said it because I knew it would wind her up." I smiled at her.

"You think he'll go for that?" She bit her bottom lip. _Yeah, you've definitely picked that up from her_, I thought grinning.

"Probably." I rested my elbow on the back of my seat and rested my head on my hand. "I mean, he probably thinks that I'm too emotionally unstable for anything like that to happen, right?" She opened her mouth to protest, but I stopped her. "Look, Bella, I know he probably thinks that. All I ask is that he doesn't say it out loud, which I know he won't do. And besides, him thinking that makes sure I get to keep my head a little longer." She smiled at me. "It's okay, honestly. I know that people think that. Well, people who know anyway. And I honestly don't care. All that matters is that you and I know that that's not true." I leaned in to kiss her.

"And Alice." She reminded.

"Way to kill the mood." I raised my eyebrows at her and she giggled.

"I'm sorry." She placed her hands behind my head and pulled me in to meet her in the middle, pressing her lips to mine.

We were interrupted by someone knocking on the window behind me. I saw Emmett standing there grinning at us and turned around to see Bella flip him the bird. I stared at her and she shrugged nonchalantly. Who knew my girl had it in her? I climbed out of the door and walked around to open Bella's door for her, before we caught up to the others.

"You are so whipped." Emmett chuckled.

"Says the singleton." I grinned back and he stopped laughing.

"Hey!" He stopped and I kept walking, laughing slightly. "That's by choice."

"Right!" I called back to him and heard him running towards me. I knew what was coming and braced myself for the contact that never came.

"Emmett Nathaniel Cullen!" I heard Alice scream. "If you ruin those shirts in any way whatsoever I will make sure that it is not only burgers and sausages that are being barbequed here tonight. You got it!" I heard him slow to a walk behind me and I grinned down at Bella, who by this point was laughing as hard as she had been in the car.

"Lucky escape bro." Emmett growled as he walked past us, causing Bella and I to laugh even harder. He started to walk off before stopping and turning back to fall into step next to me. "Look, there's always alcohol flowing at things like these."

I rolled my eyes. _Great. Here comes the big brother routine._ I thought. "And?"

"I know that you know you can't drink on those meds." He said, an edge of warning in his tone.

"Then I won't drink!" I shot back. He didn't seem appeased. "Emmett, quit worrying. Okay?"

"Alright," He said, unconvinced. "But be careful, okay?"

"Yes, Dad!" I said sarcastically and he chuckled, slapping my shoulder.

We made our way towards the group that was forming on the cliff top. I saw Seth and Embry mingling with people there. They saw the six of us approaching and grinned, jogging over to meet us.

"Hey, glad you guys could come." Embry said, stopping in front of us.

"No way we'd miss it." Alice said grinning. Personally I think she had a little thing for Embry, but I didn't push it, knowing the retribution that would be awaiting me when I got home. "Who's here?"

"Pretty much everybody." Seth said, grinning and looking at us. His grin didn't falter when he made eye contact with me, but his eyes conveyed a different message. They said "I'm sorry," and I nodded slightly, smiling, showing him that I understood. His eyes immediately lit up again and he turned around, waving for us to follow. "Come on." We all followed the him, Embry falling into step with Alice. _Yeah, she's definitely got a thing for him._ I thought smiling. Bella tugged on my arm, giving me a questioning look and I nodded towards the two of them. She saw what I meant and grinned, nodding at me. My only worry was how would Emmett and Jasper react to Embry with their little sister.

"Hey, guys." Sam said, falling into step with us.

"Hey Sam." I replied. "Looks like it's gonna be big."

"Always is." He grinned. "Every kid from Forks and La Push High School's turn up each year. It gets wilder and wilder each year. It's gonna be great." He looked at me. "Don't worry. Jacob's not here. That I've seen anyway."

"I'm not worried." I smiled at him and he grinned, hearing my confidence. Hell, I'd just made a fool out of Renee on the phone. I think I could handle whatever Jacob threw at me, knowing that he wouldn't start anything physical. Not with everybody here especially my family.

"Trust me, Sam." Bella told him, leaning her head on my chest as we stopped near a large crowd of people. "He's just put Renee in her place, so I think he can handle Jacob." I looked down at her. It was like this girl could read my mind. Wait, she couldn't could she?

"Serious?" He asked, looking between me and Bella. "What happened?" Bella told him about the phonecall we had received upon arriving at the cliff a few minutes before. Before she was finished, Sam was in fits. "I gotta tell you man, you've got guts. I've met Renee and I would never have said anything like that to her." I shrugged, showing it was no big deal. "You've got guts, though."

"Yo, Sam!" Someone called and I saw someone familiar running towards us.

"Hey," Sam grinned as the guy reached us. "Yo, dude this is Edward and Bella. Edward, Bella, this is my cousin-"

"Quil!" We both cried, grinning.

"Oh my god!" He stood there in shock, a smile forming on his lips. "What the hell are you guys doing here? Wait! Never mind that for now, come here!" He pulled me in for a quick hug, remembering my aversion to contact, but not being able to resist. He pulled Bella in for a longer hug and she giggled. "Now. What the hell are you guys doing here?"

"We live Forks." I said, and he thought for a moment. He grinned as he remembered. "What about you?"

"Sam here," He clapped a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Is my good ol' cousin. He invited Claire and me down for a few days."

"Claire's here?" I asked, grinning as Bella squealed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands in a very Alice-like moment.

"Yeah. She's over there somewhere. I'll go get here. Stay here." And with that he disappeared, going to find his girlfriend.

"Um..." Sam sounded confused. "What the hell?"

"What? Oh, yeah." I realised that he didn't know where Bella and I knew Quil from. "His girlfriend Claire was on the same unit I was in the clinic. She was actually one of my closest friends in there." I tried to gauge his reaction, looking for some kind of anonymity. But all he did was smile.

"Oh, yeah." He laughed. "Claire was telling me about the clinic. Don't take this the wrong way, but I asked her 'cause I'd met you, and I wanted to try and learn all I could about it, without asking you directly." He sounded sheepish, but I shook my head, waving off his worries. In a way, it made me feel better knowing that he wanted to learn about my experiences. It showed he really wanted to know and not to be polite or mocking. "Anyway, she kept mentioning some guy called Edward, who came from around here. But me being me, didn't think to put two and two together." He laughed and I couldn't help but join in.

"Edward!" I heard a familiar screech just before, someone jumped on me. I knew this little bundle of energy to be Claire. She grabbed around my neck with her arms and I felt her legs wrap around my waist as she squeezed me tight. I felt myself tense up, but willed myself to relax, telling myself that it was just Claire as I wrapped my arms around her still tny waist. "I've missed you!" She mumbled into my shirt.

"I've missed you too, Clarey!" I whispered back, before she unwrapped her legs from my waist and I placed her back on the ground.

"Bella!" She squealed and the two of them embraced. "Oh my god!" She broke away from Bella and looked at the two of us. "I've missed you guys so much. How are you guys? I see that you're still together. You're so cute together. So, how have you been? What have you been up to? What are you doing here? You guys live near here, right? Where is it you guys live? I can't remember. Oh, well, anyway moving on. How-"

I placed my hand over her mouth, knowing that that was the only thing that was going to get her to shut up.

I looked over at her boyfriend. "Quil, how much sugar did you give her?"

"I haven't given her any sugar." He held up his hands defensively. "Do you think I'm that stupid?"

"Well, no." I said, looking back to his hyperactive girlfriend. "But _someone_ gave her sugar and-" I looked over at Sam to see him not looking at anyone. "Sam?" He looked up at me. "Care to explain?"

"What?" He looked confused.

"Okay, Sam. I'm gonna say this slowly." Bella said, skirting her way around Claire who was grinning into my hand and bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet again. "Did you give Claire sugar?"

He shook his head. "Wasn't me?"

"Then who?" Quil asked him. "I know you know man."

"Seth." He admitted.

I looked back to Claire. "Okay Clarey. I'm going to take my hand away now, and I want you to be quiet, okay?" I asked her as though I was talking to a five year old. She was so hyper she probably couldn't hear anything other than a buzzing in her ears anyway. Surprisingly, she nodded and I slowly took my hand away from her mouth. She stood there, grinning at me and continued bouncing. "Now." I judged her reaction. "Tell me, what did Seth give you?" If we knew what it was that she had had it would be easier to determine how long she would be this hyper. I only hoped that it wasn't-

"Skittles!" She cried. _NO!!!!_ Skittles and Claire did _not _mix. Ever ever ever!

"I'm gonna kill him!" Quil cried, running off to find Seth in the crowd. Claire noticed that Quil had disappeared and looked at me with a shocked expression.

"No! Quil don't hurt him!" I heard her yell as she followed him into the crowd. I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.

"What's so bad about her having Skittles?" Sam asked, watching the two of them go with a perplexed look on his face.

"Because, that," I pointed towards Claire's retreating form. "Will last for hours. She won't calm down for another, hmmm, judging by the state of hyperactivity......ooh....anothre four hours or so." His mouth dropped. "And that's without the aid of any more."

"Jeez." He whispered and I nodded watching Claire following Quil, trying to get him not to hurt the boy who had given her her Skittles. It was quite amusing to watch actually.

The three of us made our way over to a makeshift seating area that had been set up. It consisted of large logs and tree stumps. There were quite a few people sat there, all laughing and joking around with each other. The atmosphere was so relaxed and it felt nice. Moments after we sat down, Sam got called over to take part in a football game that was starting between the two schools. He eagerly joined them after bidding us farewell. We told him that we'd see him later on and he jogged off happily.

"I'm gonna go get us some drinks." Bella said softly, kissing my cheek, before walking off to find us some drinks.

I looked around at the people sat around me. Most of them were couples, sitting and talking to each other. There were some who were kissing softly and the others, well PDA wasn't quite enough to cover it. I avoided looking at those couples, as I knew looking at them, would make me want to refuse any food I was offered later. I knew that would worry Bella and my family if I did that, so I was against it happening.

"Well, well." A voice said from behind me. "Someone's looking lonely."

I looked up to see a blonde girl standing next to the log I was sat on. She was pretty, but she didn't hold a candle to Bella. The amount of make-up and the outfit that she wore only served to take away from what looks she did possess.

"No," I smiled at her, in a friendly way. "Not really."

She sat down next to me, probably trying to look sexy. It really wasn't working. "I'm Lauren."

"Edward."

"Well, Eddie." She spoke the dreaded nickname and my opinion of her just dropped several points from its low starting place. She placed a hand on my bicep, not caring when I shied away from her touch. "Why don't you and I find somewhere a little more....private." Her tone suggested that she was trying to be sexy as well, but again, it really didn't work. I cringed internally at the thought of going anywhere with her.

"Um actually, Lauren I'm waiting for-"

"Lauren!" I heard Bella call as she walked up to us, holding a cup in each hand. "Funny seeing you here. I didn't think that these things interested you." I detected the fake sugariness in her voice as she glared at Lauren, who didn't seem to notice.

"Trust me, when there are treats like this around," She replied, indicating at me. "I'll always be interested." I shot Bella a pleading look and she glared at Lauren, who still had her hand on my arm.

"Well, Lauren." I could hear her tone changing. "Maybe you should look elsewhere-"

"Back off, Swan!" Lauren snapped, cutting her off. I knew better than to get invovled as I knew what Bella could get like in an argument. And personally, I wanted Lauren to get lost. She was really getting on my nerves. "I saw him first."

"Really?" Bella challenged. "You know, I really think you should get your hands off my fiance and look elsewhere for guys who are more.....your type."

"Fiance?" Her head whipped between me and Bella. Bella smirked and I nodded.

"Yup." I confirmed, pulling Bella gently into my lap.

"Bye Lauren." Bella handed me a cup and waved at Lauren who scowled and stormed off.

We both burst out laughing at her reaction, taking a few minutes to recover.

"Thank you." I mumured, nuzzling my nose into Bella's neck.

"Anytime, love." She twisted her head around and kissed my forehead as I placed a kiss on her collarbone. She giggled and I smiled, before pressing my lips to hers, in a soft, sweet, lingering kiss. "Anytime."

**Isn't that cute :P  
I thought that I'd give Lauren a chance at getting knocked back haha! Cos I'm like that :P  
Btw, that stuff with Claire, that's taken from a friend of mine. It actually does take hours for her to calm down after a bag of Skittles. Just the one small bag of Skittles and she's insane for hours on end.  
Anyway, continuation of the party next chapter. I'm not sure whether or not to do EPOV or BPOV next chappie. Let me know in reviews or PMs and I'll work it out.  
Please review  
xx**


	27. CharactersCompetition

**Sorry this isn't an update, but there is one coming very soon.**

**Now, I'm introducing some new characters soon and I'm a little stuck for names.**

**I'm not divulging any and I mean _ANY_ information on why, just know that I am.**

**So, I thought, why not get my beloved readers and loyal reviewers involved in the story :D**

**Now, I'm going to have a little competition.**

**So, if you want your name to appear in my story, then PM me with your name and **

**a short story as to why I should include you.**

**I'll be reading through the short stories and deciding on the ones most deserving of a place in my story.**

**Think you can earn yourself a mention in my story.**

**Go on.**

**You know you want to. ;D**

**You have from now until 5pm (GMT) on Wednesday 15th April to dazzle me with your responses.**

**I look forward to reading them.**


	28. Cliff Top Party Pt2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**I want to say thanks for all the thank you for all the names and stories that I've been getting. They're really making me smile. Keep 'em coming.**

**I asked you what POV you wanted for this chapter and the PMs came throught loud and clear and it was almost unanimously Edward POV. So here he is.**

**EPOV**

It turned out that the party only took place on the cliffs until sundown. Bella told me that when the sun began to set, the whole thing moved onto the beach with a driftwood fire. She told me that it was one of the prettiest things that she had ever seen. I begged to differ on that one. I knew something that was a whole lot prettier, and she happened to be sitting curled up in my lap.

I didn't know how long we'd sat there, nor did I care. All I knew was that I was sat with the only person I wanted to be with. Although I did have to admit, it was quite amusing watching the people around us making complete morons of themselves. _Note to self,_ I thought. _Never drink._

"Hey, you guys." I heard someone call. I looked up to see Seth jogging up to us, looking slightly out of breath. He was grinning from ear to ear as he stopped in front of us.

"Hey," Bella said casually.

I looked up at him, shielding my eyes from the sun that was setting behind him, so I could see him clearly. "Managed to escape Quil then?" I asked and he at the two of us grinned sheepishly.

"Not for long." He admitted, looking slightly embarrassed.

"She still not calmed down?" I asked him, a smile of my own spreading across my face. I knew that she wouldn't calm down for a while now, and it was funny to know that Quil was still on a manhunt after Seth.

"Nope." He said, popping the "p". "So, you guys heading down to the beach?"

"They starting up the fire?" Bella asked, sounding excited. She looked at me smiling, and started practically bouncing up and down in my lap. It was like having another Alice around. I rolled my eyes and she giggled, snuggling into my chest. I kissed the top of her head and looked back up at Seth.

"Not yet, but the sun's setting pretty quick, so probably within the hour or so." He explained. I noticed he was glancing around nervously, probably watching for any oncoming attack from Quil.

"Still watching for are for Quil, huh?" I asked, smiling at him. He looked at me, his expression explaining that he knew he was in trouble. I found it highly amusing. Quil was normally one of the most passive guys I know, probably coming second only to Jasper, who just had an unnerving way of calming people, but hell, you mess with Quil's girl, there's hell to pay.

"Uh, yeah. He's on a murder mission." I laughed at Seth's response, nodding my head. He was right.

"He still not let it go?" I asked him, grinning as he scowled at me, still looking around for impending danger.

"SETH!" I heard Quil's voice boom over the crowd and Seth looked to Bella and myself, panicking. We both laughed at his distress and he scowled at us again.

"You haven't seen me, alright!" He stated forcefully, before running off into the crowd again. Moments later an infuriated Quil marched over to us.

"You guys seen Seth?" He asked us and we shook our heads.

"You still after him?" Bella asked, innocently, and I had to fight not to laugh. This was too funny. It had to have been at least two hours since Quil started his rampage. Anyone else would have given up by now. But not Quil. When he was like this he was as determined as Bella or myself.

"Damn straight! He knows not to give her Skittles. She's still wound up!" He was pissed.

"Hey, maybe you should introduce her to Alice." I suggested and he raised his eyebrow at me skeptically, questioningly. "You know, my sister?" He still looked confused. "Small, black hair, incredibly over-excited." Nothing. "Kind of looks like a pixie."

"Oh, yeah." Quil laughed, realising who it was I was talking about. ""Maybe. Are you sure she can handle Claire when she's like this?"

"Are you kidding?" I laughed and Bella shook her head at Quil, her expression stating that he should know better than to ask a question like that. "The way Claire is now, is how Alice is _always_. You think Claire's bad, you should see Alice after a cup of coffee."

"I still have nightmares." Bella said, sounding scared and I kissed her temple.

"Okay." Quil stood there grinning at the two of us. "I'm gonna go hunt down Seth."

"We're gonna head down to the beach." Bella said standing up and holding out her hand for me to take. I did and she pulled me up gently, grinning. "I wanna see the pretty flames." Quil just grinned and jogged off in the vague direction that Seth had taken. "Come on." She pulled me along.

We walked down to the beach, braving the thin, winding path that led us down the cliffside. Thankfully, the path wound down alongside the cliff and not jutting out from it. That could have been dangerous for any normal person, but for Bella it would have been absolutely perilous, with or without me there to catch her.

When we got down to the beach, we saw that many others had made their way down there already and some were gathering around the enormous wood pile that had been constructed. Bella grinned at me and pulled me forward so we could see it more clearly. We stopped and sat down on one of the numerous blankets that had been set out especially for this part of the night. I noticed that there was a steady ring of people forming around the pile as the sun got lower and lower in the sky.

"Twilight." Bella whispered, leaning into my chest. I nodded, and kissed the top of her head.

"A sign that everything has to end." I mumbled into her hair and she nodded.

"Even the good things." She sounded sad and I knew what she was thinking about. It was the same thing that had been plaguing my thoughts over the last three weeks.

"Hey," I placed a finger under her chin and pulled her face up so she was looking at me. "_We_ are not ending." I kissed her softly and she reciprocated, deepening it slightly. "Ever." I mumbled against her lips and I could feel her smile.

"Promise?" She whispered as we broke the kiss.

"With everything that I am." I promised, meaning every single syllable. I wouldn't let her go. Not in my heart. Something told me that after the phone call I had with Renee earlier on, there would be no let up in that area, so I had to make sure that every single moment I spent with Bella was special. I would spend the summer making her feel like a princess. Whether she likes it or not.

We were broken out of our moment by people shouting and cheering and I looked to the centre of the circle to see Sam standing her with a lit piece of driftwood. People began to chant for him to light the fire and he stood there grinning. He was enjoying it. I could see that he was. And hell, why shouldn't he? We were on his home turf and he was the one with the wood that would light the fire, signally the party's transition into it's night stage. After a minute he complied and threw the lit wood into the woodpile, where it instantly caught fire.

Bella was right. It was beautiful. The flames that engulfed the wood were not red, yellow and orange as they were normally, but they were blue, sometimes giving off little green sparks. It was entracing to look at and I found that I couldn't take my eyes away.

"It's the salt." I heard Bella mumble from her place on my chest.

"Mmm?" I looked down at her confused.

"It's the salt that gives it the colour." She explained. "Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"

"I can think of one thing more beautiful." I mumbled, kissing Bella's head again. She smiled up and me, and pressed a kiss to my jaw before settling back down and watching the flames.

I looked around the circle and saw that almost everyone sat around it was entranced by the flames, just as Bella was. I heard someone turn up some music somewhere else on the beach and I had the feeling that people were dancing around, making even bigger fools out of themselves than they already had. I had a sinking feeling that my brothers and sisters were included in that group. None of us were huge drinkers and I hated to think what would happen if and when they got their hands on some alcohol. I could tell you now that Esme and Carlisle wouldn't be pleased if they ever found out. Which knowing this small town, they probably would.

I let my gaze shift around the circle and it landed on a girl who was sitting there staring at me. She looked slightly familiar but I couldn't place where I had seen her before. I couldn't tell how tall she was as she was sitting down, but she had curly brown hair, that bordered on frizzy and a round face. She kept on staring at me, even when she seemed to know that I was looking at her. It started to creep me out. When I made eye contact with her, she just grinned and waved at me, in what I think she thought was a seductive manner, which only served to creep me out even more. What was is with girls here? Didn't they see that I was with Bella? I turned away from her and kissed the top of Bella's head. She looked up at me, smiling and pressed her lips to mine softly. When I looked up again I saw that the girl that had been staring at me had disappeared. I was grateful. I hated people staring at me.

After a while, people started dispersing and the crowd around the fire lessened. I stood up, stretching and pulled Bella up after me, holding her close to me. She sighed and ran her hands up and down my arms, softly. I kissed her forehead and she leaned her head against my chest lovingly.

"Hey, Bells." Alice bounded up to us, grinning from ear to ear. "Jessica Stanely is giving you the biggest death glare I have ever seen."

"Really?" Bella lifted her head off of my chest. "Where?" Alice turned and Bella and I followed her gaze. I saw the same girl that had been staring at me when we were sat around the fire. Only this time, it wasn't me she was staring at. It was Bella. And I'm telling you, if looks could kill, Bella would be sat with the other burgers on the grill right now.

Alice turned back to the two of us, smirking. "Looks like somebody's jealous." She commented in a singsong voice.

"Really?" I asked confused. "Of what?"

"'Of what'? You silly boy." Alice scolded me, tapping me on the arm. I feigned hurt and she smirked at me. "Of you, of course."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Bella asked, looking up at me, her face showing me that she didn't believe that I had just asked that question. "Because you're gorgeous. No! Stop it." She said, when I grimaced at the compliment she gave me. "You are! Do you not see how many girls have been eyeing you up today and tonight?"

"No." I said, honestly. I really hadn't paid attention to any of the girls here. Aside from one. "You're the only one I've noticed." I smiled and she kissed me gently.

"Aww, you two are cute." Alice cooed. "But seriously, Edward, I know I'm your sister, so don't take this the wrong way but you have gotten hot. Anyone else would have takn full advantage of that fact. And by the looks of it," She looked around quickly, at what I wasn't sure. And I had the feeling I didn't want to know. "It looks like there are a fair number of girl's wanting to take advantage of you." She poked my chest and Bella giggled.

"I guess its a good thing that I got him first then, isn't it?" She said grinning up at me. "'Cause he's all mine."

"It's only you, love." I pressed my lips to hers, smiling.

"Edward!" I heard someone shout. I broke the kiss and looked up to see Sam running towards us. "We've got a football game starting up. You wanna play?"

I shook my head, grimacing at the thought of playing football. "I can't." I said, simply.

He stopped in front of us. "Ah, come on, man." He was grinning at me now. "It doesn't matter whether or not you can play. It's all fun after all."

"No, I mean, I actually can't." I shook my head and he looked confused. "I'm only allowed a certain amount of exercise, and I'm pushing it going to the gym with Emmett as it is. I mean, I would, but it would probably get back to my parents and everyone at some point and I really don't have the energy for all of that."

"Oh," He looked stumped. "Yeah, I, uh, I didn't think of that."

"Hey don't worry about it." I smiled at him and he grinned back. "Maybe next time, you know, when the leash is a bit looser." He chuckled and I grinned at him, thankful that I had erased the uneasy feeling that that moment had caused. "Sorry."

"Nah, don't worry about it, man." He turned around and started walking back towards where the game was starting up. "Next time, though." He called back and I laughed.

I looked down at Bella and saw that she was smiling up at me, her eyes filled with love and pride. "What?" I asked her and her smile widened.

"I'm proud of you, you know." She sighed.

"What for?" I was confused now.

"Well," She looked out at the beach and then next to me. "The Edward that I knew when I first met you would never have come to something like this. And he would never have explained to Sam so freely as to why he couldn't play football. He would have stayed home, cutting himself off from everybody." I frowned at her alternative for what I would be doing had I been the same person I was when we first met. "Okay, bad choice of words. But it's true." She smiled at me lovingly. "You have come so far and there are no words to say how proud of you I am."

"You don't need words, love." I assured her. "I know." I kissed the top of her head and she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling my head down crushing her lips to mine.

We broke the kiss and smiled at each other. I pulled her close to me and inhaled her sweet scent of strawberry and freesia. How one person could smell so divine was beyond me. Just inhaling her scent could calm me down and bring me into a complete sense of security. If I could bottle her scent then I would have done in a heartbeat.

"You wanna go check out the football game, Sam mentioned?" I asked and she nodded, smiling.

I took her hand and we walked slowly towards the crowd that was beginning to form around the game that was being played. I looked and saw the absolutely enormous guys from the Quilette reservation playing against the smaller, whimpy looking guys - aside from Emmett - from Forks. It was clear to see who was going to win. I had to laugh at the pathetic attempt that the guys from Forks were putting up against the other side.

"You wanna take bets?" Bella asked me, giggling.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure who's going to win." I chuckled and she nodded against my chest. I looked down at her and she smiled up at me, taking her eyes off of the game. I pressed my lips to hers gently, and she wrapped her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss. I loved the way her lips felt against mine. The ways her lips molded and moved with mine in perfect syncronicity. I felt her tongue brush against my bottom lip and I parted my lips allowing her access. She slipped her tongue into my mouth and I relished the taste of her. She was something I would gladly taste over and over again. She tasted sweet and heavenly. I never wanted it to end.

"Hi," I heard a slightly nasal voice call from next to me. I, grudgingly, broke the kiss with Bella and looked up to see the girl that was staring me at the fire standing there. "I don't think we've met. I'm Jessica." She held her hand out, batting her eyelashes at. Did girls really think that guys thought that was sexy? 'Cause I sure as hell didn't.

"Jessica." Bella said, her voice fakely sweet as she looked at the girl I now knew as Jessica. "Meet Edward. My fiance."

Jessica's face fell slightly at the mention of the fact that I was Bella's fiance, but she quickly regained her composure. "Is that so?" She looked me up and down, making me feel even more uncomfortable than I already was. "Well. You look....different."

"Thanks, I guess." I didn't really know how to respond to that.

She smiled at me sweetly, walking up to me and running a finger down my arm. I stiffened and closed my eyes while I waited for her finger to leave my arm. I felt my breathing pick up pace when it, became more than a finger and she laid her hand on my arm. I didn't open my eyes, but I knew that Bella wasn't happy.

"Jess, what are you doing?" Bella snapped.

"What?" I heard Jessica ask innocently.

"Get your hand off my fiance." Bella growled. Yes, she growled. The hand didn't leave my arm. "Now."

"Jeez, Bella, what is your problem?" She snapped, as I felt her hand leave my arm. I relaxed slightly, and opened my eyes to see a look of anger on Bella's face. She was glaring at Jessica who was giving Bella a smug smile.

"My problem?" Bella snapped back. "My problem is that you can't seem to keep your hands of someone who clearly belongs to someone else."

"'Belongs to'?" Jessica asked. "What kind of psycho freak are you?"

I looked at her, disgusted at her treatment of Bella. "Excuse me?" I said to this girl. She looked at me and smiled. "As a matter of fact, I _do_ belong to Bella. As she belongs to me. And no one is going to change that fact." Her gaze flicked to Bella and her eyes darkened, before flicking back to me, her smile widening. "I love Bella. She is my fiancee. There is no opening for anyone else to even attempt to take her place. Because it won't happen."

I looked down at Bella and I saw her gazing up at me, her eyes filled with love and adoration. She leaned up and pressed her lips to mine gently, sighing as she pulled away.

"Fine," Jessica huffed before walking past me slowly, trailing her finger down my arm again. I cringed away from her touch, but she, like the others, didn't take any notice. Bella did though and I saw her eyes darken as she glared at Jessica. "If you ever change your mind, then you know where I am."

"I don't think I'll need you." I placed a finger under Bella's chin and pulled her face up, her lips meeting mine in a passionate kiss. I poured all my adoration into that kiss, showing Bella how much I loved and needed her. I felt my heart leap when she reciprocated, putting as much love and adoration into the kiss as I was. There was no one but her. I could love no one but her. No matter how much they wanted me to. I broke the kiss, purely because I needed to breath, and smiled at Bella. She smiled back at me and laid her head on my shoulder.

"You never know." Jessica retorted, smiling smugly at the two of us. Bella turned and smiled smugly back at her, before placing a kiss on my exposed neck. The feel of her breath on my skin, made me smile as it tickled the area she had just kissed, feeling surprisingly cool.

I looked over to Jessica and saw her scowling at Bella, before looking at me and storming off. I couldn't suppress a chuckle at her reaction. Honestly, I thought that it was obvious that Bella and I were together. How could anyone not see that? Especially after standing there, watching us kiss like that, she seemed to be under some delusion that if she stood there and smiled at me enough, I would drop Bella like a hat and rush to her side. Or at least that's what it seemed like.

That would never happen.

I wouldn't let it.

I would be Bella's, forever and always, just like I had promised. I felt through her kisses that she was making the same promise that I was, and it felt amazing to know that someone felt that way about me. I had never thought that it would happen. Hell, I had never thought that anyone would find me attractive, let alone love me. But it seemed that I was wrong. I had found someone to love, and who loved me. And here, girls were hitting on me, even with my fiance, my Bella, standing next to me, my arms wrapped around her, my lips pressed to hers. Some things were a bit warped in the way that they worked.

I told myself in that moment, that I wasn't going to dwell on the fact that Bella was leaving. I would put all my energy into making as many memories with her in the short time that we had as I could. I would do whatever I could to make this the best summer of her life. I didn't know what I would be like, or how I would deal with it when Bella left, but I told myself that I would deal with it, or not, when I got there.

But the summer was about Bella and Bella alone.

She deserved that at least.

"Hey," I whispered as she resumed watching the game. "You wanna go get something to eat?"

She looked up at me and smiled. "Yeah." We made our way towards the barbeque and stopped in front of it. It wasn't the most appetising looking food, but I knew that I had to eat something. She handed me a burger and I reminded myself that it wasn't like the burgers that were sold in fast food places. I had to remind myself that these were barbequed on a grill and not deep fried in fat. It seemed to help as it wasn't as hard to eat as I thought it would be. Of course, Bella finished hers in about ten seconds flat and had another one, but then again, that was Bella. She was starting her second one and grinned up at me. "Wha'?" She asked her mouth full of burger.

I couldn't help but laugh. She had a knack for making me laugh, when if it was other people doing something like that, I probably would have been fighting the urge to throw up. I hugged her tight to me and she giggled.

"Be careful." She warned. "Anything gets on that shirt of yours, I'm not taking the blame."

"Blame?" I asked confused.

"Alice." She confirmed, looking up at me.

"Oh, yeah. I get that now." I smirked down at her. "You're scared of her aren't you?"

"So ar you!" She shot back.

"I never said I wasn't." I told her and she smirked at me before pressing her lips to mine. "Mmm, that I agree with." I murmured as we broke apart. She rested her head on my chest and I looked around, watching for people I might know. I saw that the football game had turned into a mass fight. I wasn't sure if it was serious or not, but I did know that there were lots of arms and legs flailing around, in the firelight, kicking up so much sand that people had to take a good couple of steps backwards. Well, they had to step backwards a couple of feet to one, avoid the sand, and two, to avoid getting hit by anyone involved.

I felt Bella stiffen against me and I looked down at her, to see her eyes fixed on one spot. I looked over to see what she was looking at and saw instantaneously as she cursed.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

**Sorry to leave it there, but, you know I was feeling mean.  
I hope you don't hate me for that one.  
Please review :D  
xx**


	29. Cliff Top Party Pt3: The Beach

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**I regret to announce that the little character competition that I had in place is now closed! I will be reading through all the stories that I received (which could take some time, because there were a lot :D which makes me smile) and picking out the ones that I liked the most. They will be appearing in upcoming chapters, so you'll have to read on to find out which ones made it into the story. I'll be mentioning the ones that made it into the story at the A/N's at the end of each chapter.**

**BPOV**

_"You've got to be fucking kidding me?"_

What the hell?

Why now?

After everything that has happened in the last couple of weeks, why the hell now?

It was all I could do not to march over there and show that bleach blonde bimbo how much I hated her. Why the hell did she have to turn up here? Now? It's not like she knows anyone here. So why the hell did she have to show up?

As I stood there, I felt my grip on Edward increase. I didn't do it on purpose, but after everything that has happened I can't help but feel overprotective. I couldn't watch him get hurt. Not again.

I watched her weaving her way through the people crowded on the beach, paying extra attention to the guys amongst the crowd. Whether they were obviously attached or not. It obviously didn't matter to her. She hadn't changed.

Tanya.

I felt the anger welling up in my chest as I clung to Edward. I knew that he was watching me, confused as to what has got me so worked up. I wasn't going to enlighten him if he didn't know already. I knew that it was wrong to hide things from him, even if he was going to find out soon anyway, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want that skank anywhere near him. There was no way I was leaving Edward now. Not now that I knew she was here.

"Love?" I heard Edward whisper in my ear, snapping me back into focus. "What's wrong?"

I looked at him, and I saw a look of worry fixed on his expression. "Nothing."

"You always were a bad liar." He smirked slightly and I knew he had me beat on that one. I was a rubbish liar, but I wasn't going to enlighten him to what I knew at the moment. He didn't need to know. It would only stress him out, and after recent weeks, that was definitely something that he didn't need.

"I know. It's nothing really." I tried to sound convincing and gave him a small smile.

"Alright." He didn't sound convinced, and I cursed mentally, wishing that I had some skills in the deception department. Not that they would help much against Edward. He had spent so long lying to people, he would probably be able to see straight through me, even if I could fool everyone else. This boy was impossible to fool. He was so good at reading people. He always told me not so much, but he always knew when there was something wrong.

I smiled up at him, and wrapped my arms around his neck securely. I pulled his head down and pressed my lips to his again. Something that he clearly didn't object to. The longer our lips were connected, the more heated the kiss became. The outside world melted away as Edward and I became encased in our own personal bubble. A bubble I really didn't feel like leaving very soon, if ever. My hands found their way into his hair and he pulled on my waist, so that I was pressed tightly to his body. I flicked my tongue against his bottom lip, begging for entrance. I had to taste him. It wasn't a want, it was more a physical _need_. I felt his lips part slightly, allowing my tongue to slip into his mouth. I moaned into his mouth gently as our tongues caressed each other. There was nothing in the world that compared to this. Absolutely nothing.

"Okay, that is something I really don't need to see!" We broke the kiss grudgingly to see Jasper standing there stunned, while Emmett made fake heaving noises and motions. Alice and Rosalie were standing nearby as well. Rose had a hige grin on her face, whereas Alice looked ready to let out the biggest "aww" anyone has ever heard.

I sighed and rested my head on Edward's chest, knowing I had a smug smile forming on my face. I couldn't help it. But at the same time I wanted to tear Jasper limb from limb for shattering the moment that I was having with Edward. Had the been anyone else they probably would have been slightly grossed out and moved on, but nope, the Cullens had to make a joke or a spectacle of everything. It wasn't something they did on purpose. It was just the way they were, so I couldn't really be mad at them.

I heard Edward chuckle and I looked up at him. "You thinking of killing Jasper too?" He asked in a low voice, a smile forming on his lips and I nodded. "Good. At least I'm not the only one." He placed a kiss on my forehead and I smiled, completely dazzled. And I wasn't ashamed to admit it. "Now we can double team him." I giggled at the thought.

"We will definitely have to." He grinned at me and I stood on my tiptoes and placed another small kiss on his lips. I turned back to look at Jasper, who had a confused look on his face. The look was well deserved as he knew that we would stop at nothing when the revenge was well placed.

"All right you guys. We're going to get some food. Have you guys-" Jasper started before he was cut off by the worst sound imaginable.

"EDDIE!"

Edward froze and I looked up at him.

"Please don't tell me that's who I think it is." I mumbled, the anxiety clear in his voice. "Please, please, please no."

"Sorry, love." I told him, an apologetic look on my face. He scowled at me, knowing that I kenw she was here.

"I told you, you were a crap liar." He mumbled. I shrugged not knowing what to say. "She was what got you so pissed a little while ago wasn't she?" He asked and I nodded slowly. "Dammit. What the hell is she doing here?"

"I don't know." I sighed, pressing my lips to his tense jaw, which slacked slightly under my touch, but not nearly enough for me to be comfortable with. "I just don't know, love. I was wondering that myself. It's not as if she knows anyone here. So why the hell is she here?" _If she tries _anything_ I'm going to rip out every strand of that bleach blonde crap that she calls hair!_ I thought as I caught sight of her moving through the crowd towards us, the biggest smile plastered on her face.

"Eddie! How are you!" She cried as she walked up to us. She stopped uncomfortably close and held her arms out as if expecting a hug. Thankfully for me, this action only caused Edward to tighten his grip on my waist as the both of us stared at her. "I've missed you!" She smiled at him again, fluttering her eyelashes. "What? No hug?" She asked, pouting, using a fake baby voice that I supposed was meant to be cute but instead it turned out nasal and irritating. Edward tensed even more, obviously uncomfortable with the idea of being anywhere near Tanya again. She stood there for a moment longer before dropping her arms and giving Edward a look of mock disappointment. "So, _Eddie_," She stepped closer to Edward, who in return, moved the both of us away a step. "How have you been?"

"Fine." He replied, his voice strained. I kissed his neck softly and he looked down at me, a small smile tugging at his lips, seeming relieved that I was there. I smiled up at him and he pressed his lips to mine in a chaste kiss. I looked at him, before turning to see Tanya standing there staring at me, hate in her eyes.

"So," She crossed her arms, her voice laced with venom. "I see the two of you are still together."

"Obviously so." I retorted, resting my head on Edward's chest again. I could hear his heartbeat and I was not happy to find that it was beating exceptionally fast. She was making him anxious. More so that his posture and calm demeanor would let on, but to me, his heart told me all I needed to know. I knew we had to get away from Tanya as fast as possible, as every moment she was standing there, his heartrate increased slightly.

"So how's that going?" She asked, glaring at me and looking seductively at Edward.

"Exceptionally well." Edward replied, looking at me with love in his eyes. A look that I knew I was giving him.

I looked back at Tanya, a smug smile on my face. "We're getting married."

If I thought that the look she was giving me before was filled with hate, it was nothing compared to the look I was receiving at this very moment. It was a look that told me, if she could have opened a pit to Hell right this very second, she would have no qualms about handing me over to the Devil herself, leaving me to be tortured for the rest of eternity. I sensed that Edward felt the level of hate in her stare as well, because he held me closer and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

She flicked her hair over her shoulder and smirked. "So, when's the wedding?"

"As soon as possible." I remarked and her hate filled glare flicked back to me, her mouth turning into a scowl, something that made her features contort in an extremely unattractive way. "And I wouldn't expect an invite if I were you."

"Oh, well that's not fair." She looked back to Edward. "You want to see me, don't you Eddie?"

"Okay, Tanya." I could hear the annoyance in Edward's tone, something that was not a good thing to hear. Edward very rarely got annoyed, and when he did, it caused his blood pressure to sky-rocket extremely quickly. Something that could have a lasting effect, if not dealt with quickly. "First off, _don't_ call me Eddie. I really _really_ hate it. And second, no I don't want to see you, now or at _our_ wedding, because frankly, you annoy the living hell out of me. I didn't want you in the clinic and I sure as hell don't want you now."

I looked up at Edward, the awe evident on my face. It hadn't escaped my notice that the Cullens' were still there. They were standing close enough so that they could hear and see everything that was occuring, but far enough so that it was Edward in control of the situation and not them. The distance between us and them, showed that they were leaving Edward to deal with this on his own, which was obviously very hard for them to do, but they were close enough to intervene if needs be. I knew that after the counselling session they had resolved to let Edward deal with his own problems, but to back him up whenever and if ever he needed it. I kind of admired them for that, as I knew that it was going against everything that they had been thinking and feeling over the last nine or ten months.

I was so proud of Edward at the moment. It must have taken a lot for him to stand up to Tanya, in any way shape or form, as I knew he found her overbearing and probably wanted to escape as quickly as he could. But he was actually telling her to shove off, which was progress for him.

He gave Tanya one more hate-filled glare and with that we turned away from her and walked across to the other end of the beach. I felt him relax more and more the further away from her we got. We finally stopped once we got to the fire. We sat down and he leant against one of the large logs that had been abandoned for drinking and dancing. He manoevered me so that I was sat in between his legs and I rested my head on his shoulders while he looped his arms underneath mine and clasped his hands just underneath my breasts. We just sat there in silence, not feeling the need for audible communication, gazing into the flames that were being stoked by some kids I didn't know from the reservation.

"Hey," We both looked up and saw Jasper coming towards us, drinks in hand. He handed Edward and I one each and I was pleased to see that they were just unopened coke cans. I smiled my thanks at him and opened the can. I heard Edward doing the same as Jasper plonked himself down on the sand next to me, missing the blanket completely. I couldn't suppress a giggle at him and he looked at me indignantly, before chuckling himself. "Yeah, I guess I deserve that one." He opened his own can, which I noticed _wasn't_ coke and took a gulp. He grinned and shrugged at me as I raised my eyebrows at his choice of beverage. I felt Edward's chest move slightly as he chuckled at the silent interaction going on between his brother and I. "What was that all about back there?" He asked casually, his face a mask of concern.

"Oh, nothing." I sighed. "You remember that annoying blonde skank back at the clinic?" He looked confused. "The one that wouldn't leave Edward alone?"

"That's her?" He asked, pointing to the side at no one in particular.

"Yup," Edward said taking a sip of his coke.

"Appears she still wants Edward, huh?" I said, turning my head so that my ear was lying flat against his chest. I could hear his heartbeat, and was relieved to hear that it had slowed down a lot since we had left Tanya and sat down. I closed my eyes and sighed in relief. I didn't want anything to happen to Edward, and with that bitch around, I knew that the risk was higher of something happening to him.

"Seems that way." Jasper said, calmly, his eyes flicking between the two of us, a small smile on his lips.

"What?" We both asked at the same time. That in itself caused him to laugh, causing me to smile.

"Seriously, what?" I asked as he calmed down slightly before straightening up and looking at us.

"You two seriously have no idea, do you?" I stared at him dumbly and assumed that Edward had the same expression on his face because Jasper grinned again, before sighing. "The two of you.....it's.....I don't know. It's hard to explain. It's like....I can practically _feel_ the love that's radiating off of the two of you. You know, Alice is right."

"About what?" Edward asked, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"You two are made for each other." He stated simply.

"You know what?" I said, looking up at Edward. "I couldn't agree more." I pressed a kiss to his jaw and he smiled down at me.

"Yeah, okay." Jasper laughed. "I might approve of the relationship and be extremely happy for the two of you, but that doesn't mean I want a replay of what I saw earlier." He grinned and I scowled at him.

"Oh yeah." I mumbled.

"Permission to kill him?" Edward whispered in my ear.

I looked between him and Jasper who was still sat there grinning like an idiot. "Permission granted." I said, giving Jasper an evil smile, before I leaned forward, giving Edward space to get up.

Jasper must have known what was going on, because he suddenly stood up, his beer forgotten, standing in front of us with a panicked expression on his face. He started to back away from the two of us as he watched as Edward kissed my cheek and stood up, a look of revenge on his face as he stepped around me.

"Now, Edward." Jasper said quickly as Edward walked towards him menacingly. "You know what they said about excessive excercise-" He didn't get to finish his sentence before he ran off, Edward hot on his heels. I couldn't help but laugh as the two of them disappeared onto the beach. I had no doubt that Edward would catch up to Jasper in no time. Jasper was fast, but Edward was the fastest of the Cullens'. I lost sight of them pretty soon, but I knew that Jasper would probably end up being tackled by Edward, they would scuffle for a minute or two and then probably wander back here. No, Edward and I wouldn't make that our revenge. For that we would enlist the help of Emmett and Alice. No one breaks the EdwardxBella bubble and gets away with it. He should have known that by now.

"You're not going to keep him you know?" I heard a nasal voice behind me.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, exasperated. I stood up and turned to face Tanya, who was looking at me with a smug look on her face. "Any why is that?"

"Because he belongs with someone who can handle him." She smiled at me smugly. I wanted to leap over the log that was seperating us and show her what happens when someone doubts my relationship with Edward.

"Oh, and I guess that you would think that you're the appropriate person for that role then?" I asked, making my eyes go wide and cocking my head to the side as if I was actually interested in her opinion.

"Actually, yes I do." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a look that dared her to disagree.

"Right." I gave her a calculating look. "So if that were true why did he ask _me_ to marry him, when he asked for you to be shipped to another wing of the clinic, because he couldn't stand you? Seems like odd behaviour towards someone that you _should_ be with, don't you think?" I could hear the patronising tone in my voice and I knew that she could too. I made sure that she knew that I wasn't going to give up Edward. There was no way in hell that I was going to give up Edward.

"He likes me." She said, convincing herself of that fact. "He just doesn't know it yet."

_What the hell is this girl on?_ I thought. _Is she crazy?_

She didn't seem like she was going to retract that statement so I assumed that she was.

"Right." I moved around the log so that I was standing directly in front of her. I noticed Rosalie and Alice not too far off watching our interaction intently, prepared to step in if I needed them to. I was going to use their presence here to my advantage. "Now, listen to me Tanya. Edward is my _fiance_. Got it? You see this?" I held up my left hand showing her the ring that was glistening on my finger. "_This_ little beauty, was given to me by Edward. When he asked me to marry him. He _loves_ me. You got that? Now, I don't want you to come near Edward _ever_ again. Do you hear me? Or I might just be able to convince him to file a harrassment charge against you, and oop! My father, happens to be the chief of police and very fond of Edward, so he will not even doubt the two of us, if and when we ask him to file it for us. Do you want that? Hey, Tanya?" I could see her smug facade cracking now. For all she knew, I was deadly serious and I seriously doubted that she would ask anybody around for the truth. She was too dense to do that. "Oh, and you see those two over there?" I pointed to Rose and Alice, who waved, fake sweet smiles on their faces as they waved to Tanya when she turned around to look at them. "Neither of them will hesitate to beat your ass. Especially the blonde." I stepped up to her, so that I was well within her personal space, trying not to breathe in her sickly sweet perfume. "She's a _nasty_ piece of work." I hissed. To some extent that was true. Get on the wrong side of Rosalie and you would live to regret it.

I backed away from her and she stood there gaping at me. She opened her mouth a couple of times before closing it again. I stood there and laughed at her.

"What's the matter, Tan?" I heard a familiar voice call. "Never been spoken to like that before?"

I turned around and saw Irina standing there, just off to the side. I looked at her and grinned widely. She smiled when she saw me and bounded up to me, giving me a huge hug. _This_ Denali I could handle. She was more my type of friend. It was just her sister that I couldn't stand. We both turned to look at Tanya who was standing there, pouting and huffing like crazy. She was clearly not happy. "Get lost Tanya. And stay away from Edward. Or I'll make sure that your credit cards are cut off again. _All_ of them." Tanya glared at her sister and I noticed Irina was giving her the same hateful glare back.

"Worst case of sibling rivalry you've ever seen right?" I heard a calm voice say next to me. I turned to see Felix standing next to me.

I nodded and looked back at the glaring pair. "Are they always like this?" I asked him and he chuckled.

"All the time." He laughed, turning to face me. I looked at him and took note that he really _was_ attractive. He had dark hair, that looked almost black in the firelight that shone behind him. He had cool blue eyes that complimented his skin tone perfectly. Yes, he was attractive. But he had nothing on my Edward. "They've gotten worse over the years."

"How do you put up with her?" I asked him, my gaze flicking back to the sisters. "Tanya, I mean."

"With difficulty." He remarked with a grin and I laughed. I liked Felix. He and Irina were well suited. She was fiery and passionate whereas Felix had the exact opposite demeanor about him. He was obviously the person that could cool and calm her down when needs be.

"Hey," I whispered, leaning in close to him. He leaned down so he could hear me properly. "Do you think that if Irina glares at Tanya enough, her head will explode?"

He laughed loudly and clamped a hand over his mouth, seeming shocked at his outburst. "You sound like you want that?" He whispered back.

I crossed my index and middle fingers on each hand and waved them in front of my face, grinning. "Here's hoping."

He grinned before his expression turned to one of shock. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" He said, grabbing my left hand and gazing at the ring that laid there. "What is this?" He looked up at me, surprise in his eyes. "Is this what I think it is?"

I laughed, blushing. I liked Felix. Like Emmett, he had a personality that you couldn't help but lwarm up to. It felt like I had known him for years, rather than having only met him briefly once before and just now.

"That depends." I answered cryptically. "What do you think it is?"

"Irina, hon." He called and Irina turned around to look at us. "Look. At. This." He held up my hand and showed Irina the ring. She erupted in pretty much the same way that Alice had when she first saw it. All screams, squeals and bouncing. I didn't know if I could handle one hyperactive girl let alone two.

"Oh. My. God." She grabbed my hand and inspected the ring. "Are you?" I nodded. "And Edward?" I gave her a look that said "well, duh!" and she squealed again. "Oh, my god! This thing is beautiful. When?" She asked, looking back at me, not relinquishing my hand.

"About a month ago." I admitted, blushing.

"And you didn't think to call me?" She stomped her foot like an angry two year old and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, what's happening over here?" I heard the beautiful velvety voice of my love approaching. I would have turned around to look at him, but Irina still had a firm grip on my hand so I couldn't. I melted against his chest as he wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled his nose into my neck, inhaling deeply.

"You!" Irina dropped my hand and pointed at Edward. I looked up at him and saw he had a look of pure horror on his face. "Oh, my god! If you didn't hate physical contact I would give you the hugest hug, right now." As she said that, I watched his face relax.

"O-kay." He said slowly. "I thought I was in trouble there."

"Of course not silly." She said squealing, tucking her arm around Felix's waist and resting her head on his chest. I saw her look to the side suddenly. "Can I help you?"

I looked over to see that Tanya was still standing there, staring at Edward. I practically growled at her and I felt Edward's chest move slightly as he chuckled at me. I looked up at him and glared at him, which made him stop laughing. Until he crashed his lips to mine and I was thrown out of space and time that is. When we broke the kiss, I leaned my head back on his chest and tried to steady my breathing, willing the feeling to come back to my limbs. If Edward let go of me now, I would fall to the ground because seriously, there is a reason the human legs are not made out of jelly.

I heard Tanya huff and stalk off, as well as Irina, Felix and Edward laughing, but all I could think of was the God that I was leaning against. The beautiful man that had his arms wrapped around my waist. The man that was going to be mine forever.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you guys." Irina gushed. The smile on her face told me that it was genuine. I knew that there was very little about this girl that was fake. I had gotten that impression the moment I met her in the clinic.

"Irina! Felix!" A woman's voice was calling us.

"Over here Kate!" Irina called and another blonde girl bounded up to us. Like Irina her hair was pale blonde and she had deep chocolate brown eyes. She was incredibly pretty.

"Where have you been?" She turned and looked at Edward and I. "Hi!" She grinned at us, like we were old friends. I could tell that her smile was as genuine as Irina's was. "Garrett! I found them!"

Just then a large guy, possible as large as Emmett walked up to us and wrapped his arm around the girl. He looked at her adoringly and I noted how much of a cute couple they made. I couldn't help smiling at the two of them. Well, the smile may have also been the result of the kiss that Edward had decided to placed on my throat, but I wasn't really too sure.

"Edward. Bella. This is my sister, Kate and her fiance Garrett." Irina introduced us, and the two of them looked at us, recognition clear in their eyes.

"Bella? And Edward?" Kate asked and we both nodded slowly. "Well well well, so you're the infamous couple." I blushed and I could feel the heat coming off of Edward's cheeks as he rested his head on my shoulder lovingly. "You know, the two of you have really got my family in a spin." She giggled. "For completely different reasons though."

"Huh?" I cocked my head to the side, urging her to go on.

"Well, for some reason, Tanya, you know," Her voice became infected with the same disgusted tone that Irina used when talking about Tanya. I guessed that disliking Tanya was pretty much a given in their home. But then again I reasoned that she had probaby made a move on Garrett so, Kate was well within her rights. "She was convinced that someone from the clinic called Edward was in love with her, and he only got her moved so that his girlfriend wouldn't get suspicious of their relationship."

"Would you mind excusing me while I go hurl in the ocean?" Edward asked and everybody laughed.

"I like you." Kate said, smiling sneakily. I scowled at her playfully and she laughed again. "You two are so cute. I can see what Irina meant."

I let my mouth fall open in mock shock and anger. "Irina!" I played at sounding exasperated and frustrated. "You've been talking about us behind our backs?!"

"But of course." She played along. "How could I not talk about one of the lovliest, cutest couples I've ever met. And not to mention a couple that's so in love, nobody in the world can even hope to stand a chance."

"Oh, well." I pretended to think for a moment. "I guess that's okay then." I said with a shrug. It wasn't long before I was smiling and Kate and Irina were laughing, along with their respective partners and Edward, who was chuckling behind me.

"See." Kate said once she ahd calmed down enough to speak again. "I knew I liked you." I grinned at her before she turned to face Irina. "Do you know where Carmen and El went?" Irina shook her head still giggling. "Oh well. They'll find us when its time to go."

"People usually end up sleeping on the sand, or in cars. They usually end up too wasted or tired to drive home so they just crash here." I said with a grin. They thought about that for a moment before shrugging and accepting that that's where they may be sleeping tonight. "So, what are you guys doing here anyway?"

"Oh, yeah." Irina said, looking shocked at not explaining where they had come from. Something I had to giggle at because it really wasn't that big of a deal. "We've got a friend who goes to the La Push High School and he invited Garrett, who in turn invited us. And then, _that_," She indicated the direction that Tanya had stormed off in. "Decided to invite herself."

"Fair enough." I looked at Edward and saw him gazing down at me. I pressed my lips to his jaw and he grinned widely. "You guys want to sit down?" They all nodded eagerly and we made our way around the log, sitting down in couples. Edward sat where he had been before, his back against the log and me between his legs. I rested my head on his shoulder and was content to stay there for the rest of eternity. Well, as long as I could at least.

We sat there for the rest of the night, laughing and talking about not much at all.

After about half an hour, the Cullens' came to find us. It appeared that they had all been drinking so none of them were in a fit state to drive home. The way they were acting made both Edward and I laugh. The Cullens and alcohol, not a good combination.

I laughed especially hard when Rosalie tried to sit down gracefully. Needless to say it didn't quite work. She managed to sit down, but not without doing a teddy bear roll first. She rolled over and ended up facing away from the group. Edward and I couldn't help but laugh as she looked around confused before shifting to turn herself around and complaining that she had gotten sand in her underwear. At that remark Emmett and Jasper had done the whole "La la la, I'm not listening!" routine, shoving their hands over their ears, while Alice giggled animatedly at the whole thing.

I looked at Edward to find him laughing but also wearing an expression that said, "please tell me these aren't my siblings". I laughed at him and kissed his cheek before resuming watching the show that was unfolding in front of us.

The Cullens' seemed to take well to Kate and Garrett, but whether or not that was the alcohol I wasn't sure. I threw the two of them an apologetic look, that said "they're not usually like this", but Kate only giggled and waved her hand at me, telling me not to be so silly. I have to say it was amusing.

Somehow I knew that we wouldn't be going home any time soon, as the others were too drunk to even think about moving, and I was too comfortable to want to get up. Being sat here, with the Cullens', who were my family, our new friends, who may be a little creeped out by the drunk family, all was right with the world. And the thing that made this even better. The fact that I was sat within this bubble, our own little society within the party, with the love of my life.

My soulmate.

_My Edward._

And that was the last thought I had before I drifted off into a deep sleep.

**Heehee. What you were expecting? From the reviews that I got through, I can say....no, it wasn't.  
Alice'Jasper'Renesmee and logicn0wfails were only two people who guessed that it was Tanya that Bella had seen. Other people got it but they were "Jacob? Tanya? Renee?" kind of reviews so I'm not counting them :P Cos I'm mean.**

**As I mentioned in the A/N at the top of the page, the little competition I had in place for the characters is now closed, so no more stories please. I will be deciding who makes it into my story over the upcoming days and it won't be long until I post some chapters with you guys in them.**

**Now, all of you who have read my stories closely know that I'm not one to usually plug stories, only having done it once before in "Saving Edward". But there is a story, written by one of my most dedicated readers (which I love her for) that I'm absolutely in _love_ with. It's called:**

**Closing the Distance by siobhan'x - http://www[dot]fanfiction[dot]net/s/4992572/1/Closing_the_Distance **

**I absolutely love it. Please read it and leave her lovely reviews.**

**Till next chapter :D  
xx**


	30. Tanya

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Tanya POV**

Ugh! I hate my life!

Everyone is always out to get me!

Let me ask you this, why the hell do I have to put up with my annoyingly boring ass sisters and their crappy boyfriends. Yeah, I tried to get with them. Being honest, Felix is hot! And the fact that he's Irina's boyfriend made it even better. But Garrett, no. He's not my type, but hell, I'd screw him anyway, just to get on Kate's nerves.

I know they hate me.

And I don't care.

I'd thought that maybe if I starved myself, then people would want to get to know me, and not just for my beach looks. You know, blonde hair, blue eyes, perfect skin all that crap. Maybe people would notice me. Yeah, I did it for attention. So what? Like that's not what everyone does it for. But no, they thought that I was lying. So to prove them wrong, I went a whole week without eating a single moutfull. After that they believed me. Hah! Take that losers!

But then Daddy had to go and send me to that goddamn clinic.

I was _not_ going without a fight. There was no way. I didn't have a problem. I didn't need to be fixed. All I wanted was a little bit of attention. Unlike everyone else in those places, I was _not_ a freak!!

When I got there I made sure that everyone, and I mean _everyone_ knew that I wasn't going without a fight. When I saw the guys that would take me inside with force if they had to, I told myself that I was going to make as much noise as I could. And I sure as hell did!

I kicked and screamed as though my life depended on it. And my life did depend on it! My social life was going to go straight downhill if I had to stay here. My friends would think that I was blanking them, and my boyfriends would move on to other girls. Yeah, they would come flocking back as soon as I got out, but that wasn't the point. There would be no girls here that would be pretty enough for me to even be seen with. Even if it was in a freaking hospital I still had an image to maintain. And there would definitely be no guys cute enough here for me to even consider doing anything with. Any guy who was here would be weak and pathetic and not worth me wasting my time on.

Oh, how I was wrong.

I was told that I had to go down and socialise with the other patients here. _Patients!_ Says it all doesn't it. Load of freaks pushed together in this freaking mental house. I wouldn't have to be here long. I could just flirt my way through, just like I did with everything. Looks and charm can get you everywhere in life. If you know how to use them that is.

That was when I saw him!

He was gorgeous!

Sitting there on the sofa, all on his own. His reddy hair and high cheekbones. It was like love at first sight. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but hell, he sure was fuckable. I was going to get that as fast as I could.

There was something about him. Something that drew me in. I guessed it was just his looks, because I never got into a meaningful relationship. They were for wimps who weren't brave enough to play the field, like I was. And he would definitely be my latest conquest. Imagine the looks on my sisters faces when I told them that I had managed to get laid, even in the hospital. They would be speechless, especially when they saw the fuckable man-hunk that I had gotten some off.

He told me that his name was Edward, but I didn't like that so I would call him Eddie. I didn't care what everybody else called him. He was Eddie to me.

And soon he would be _my_ Eddie.

That fact was inevitable.

No guy, other than Felix and Garrett, had been able to resist my looks and charm. The only reason that I hadn't fucked the two of them is because wherever they were, my freaking sisters were as well. I knew that if I was able to get the two of them alone, there was no way they would be able to resist me. Nobody ever could. I got what I wanted, when I wanted it. Every single time.

This time would be no different.

But then _she_ had to go and turn up. His _girlfriend_. What the hell was she doing here anyway? There was nothing wrong with her. She said that she was here because she was supporting Eddie. But I could see through her. She was making sure that he didn't get with anyone else. I had to admit, it was a smart plan. If I had someone as gorgeous as Eddie on my arm, there was no way that I would let him out of my sight. But then again, soon I would have someone like Eddie on my arm.

I would have Eddie on my arm.

Soon. Very soon.

It wouldn't be hard to get him away from her. I would just have to show him what he was missing being with her rather than me and he would come running. They all did. And Eddie would be no different.

But he seemed adamant about staying with that short, brown-haired weirdo. Why? She wasn't even that pretty. Sure, she wasn't horrible looking, but there was no way she could compare to me. Her hair colour was all wrong to start with, and she was way too short. Even after I tried to get him alone after breakfast, he wouldn't budge. If he thought that that would put me off, the fact that he had a girlfriend, he was so wrong. In fact, I relished the challenge. Back home, all the guys I wanted came running. I had never really had a challenge and I liked it. It made me work harder to get Eddie to be mine.

He still didn't want to accept that it was me he should be with and not her. I would make him see.

She had cast some sort of spell over him. I would break it. I didn't care if _she_ was there. _Bella_. I would show him and her that she wasn't good enough for Eddie. That he was supposed to be with someone that matched him, looks-wise. And the only one that I knew that matched Eddie in that way, was yours truly. And people should always be with people that match themselves in attractiveness. And this _Bella_ he was with, definitely wasn't on the same level as him.

Then his family came. I could use that to my advantage. I saw that he had a large family. That would be good. I came from a big family so I knew how to handle them. The guys were cute, not as gorgeous as Eddie, but they weren't lacking in the looks department. I would have to see if I could get them as well. Oooh, brothers. I had been there once before and it was good. It was definitely something that I wasn't opposed to doing again. Alternating between brothers, comparing different techniques. It was definitely something I would do again. I just had to work out how I was going to do it.

The parents would be easy enough. I was able to charm my way with parents every time. Parents were easy. I would do my usual routine. Introduce them, charm them and work my in with them. It would be easy. All parents loved me, with my blonde hair and baby blue eyes, no parents could resist me. I'll give Eddie something though. I could see where he got his looks from. He definitely had good genes. His mother was pretty, with her brown hair and eyes, she was slender, not as thin as she could be, but still, she was still thin. But his dad. His dad was hot. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. I could see where Eddie got his looks from. Hell, screw the brothers, maybe a little father-son comparison was in order here.

But the girls would be harder to get to. I knew from experience that girls were more protective of their brothers than guys were. They would always feel threatened. But I would be able to work on them, easy peasy. No family, no matter how close nit they were, was unbreakable. I would be able to ease my way in and convince them that I was better for their Eddie than that Bella was.

What actually happened _really_ pissed me off.

They ignored me.

They fucking ignored me!

That little witch must have all of them under her spell. Making them believe that she was what Eddie needed. I would show them that she wasn't. I didn't know how. But I would. I would expose to them all that that little bitch was bad for Eddie. That she was holding him back. And then I would discreetly worm my way in and steal Eddie for myself. It would have to be the perfect plan. Because I could tell that she had them all wrapped around her little finger.

I would break that spell soon enough.

There was no doubt about that.

But then, that bitch Dr. Martin had to go and move me onto another fucking wing!

I didn't do anything wrong! I only pointed out what the rest of the world was too blind to see! I had designed a plan in my head. I had to make it look like that _Bella_ was jealous of me and scared that I would take Eddie away from her, which was the ultimate goal of course. So I had to do something that would get her kicked out of the clinic. I had to make sure that they saw her for the lying manipulative cow she really was.

Of course those little freaks she calls friends had to stand up for her when I told her that she might as well leave. The frustrating thing was, that when I've behaved like that to other girls, I see a flicker of doubt run across their expressions. Something that they would never admit to, but I saw.

But Hell! There was none of that with this girl. She was so delusional. To think that Eddie would want her when he could ultimately have someone like me. I knew that if I could get her to leave on her own then it would be simpler, but no. She had to go and be so goddamn sure about their relationship. Well, we'll see about that.

Trashing my room was hard to do. I didn't want to ruin my things, but I knew that to get what I want, I would have to make some sacrifices. And with Eddie as the prize, it would be worth it in the end. Besides, Daddy would replace anything I broke so it was no big deal.

I had it all in place. I had trashed my room and I was getting ready to put on my act. My acting is flawless. I had won over many unsuspecting audiences with my acting. And every time it played to my advantage. I ran to find that irritating nurse, rehearsing my sob story. When I got called to go up to the doctor's office I knew that I had won. I knew that my plan had worked and I would be able to get Eddie all to myself. I couldn't help but feel a little smug at myself. I'd earned it.

When I walked into the office I couldn't help but smirk. They were all sat in front of me. I knew I had to keep up the act so I pretended to be upset. The doctor had to believe me over them. With them all sat there, it was like they were ganging up on me, which added to my act. I could act all stressed and upset and then I could blame it on Bella and her little friends.

But she didn't believe me!

How could she not believe me!

And she was moving me onto another wing. There was no way that I was going to let this happen. My Daddy would have to listen to me, come here today or tomorrow and tell them that they cannot move me. I couldn't be away from Eddie. He needed me more than he needed that bitch!

But they wouldn't listen to me. They wanted me to leave my Eddie. I had to try to convince them and him that they couldn't let me leave. That he wanted me to stay. He needed me to stay with him. And then, freaking Irina had to turn up didn't she? She's always hated me, so obviously she's going to take the side of those who wanted me gone. She always has to take everything away from me. She's just jealous of everything I am and everything I have. I know that she is. That's why she goes out of her way to make she miserable. She and my other sisters.

After I was moved off of that unit, I made it my mission to get out of the clinic, just so I could see Eddie again. I pretended to be "getting better" as they called it. Yes, I ate, but only so I could get out of there. I don't think they realised that I wasn't really doing what they wanted me to do. I managed to get out of there in 2 months, so that worked well for me. I would have a lot of time to find Eddie now that I was out.

I planned on using Irina's contact with that bitch Bella to my advantage. I didn't want her to find out what I was doing though, because she would tell _her_ and it would all be completely ruined.

I didn't hear much about my Eddie until June. Irina was going to his birthday party. He must have been out by now then.

I made a plan there and then.

I followed Irina and Felix to this crappy little town. I asked one of my friends to borrow their car, telling her that mine was waiting to be picked up to be taken into the shop, so I could follow Irina to find Eddie. They didn't know my friends cars, which was good because there would be no way I could follow them in my car. Yeah, I can be sneaky. Didn't think I could. Well, you're wrong.

I followed them carefully, up this huge driveway, to a gorgeous house. It was huge. It was definitely somewhere I could see my Eddie living. And the rest of his family. I made sure that I wasn't seen as I followed them there. They didn't have a clue that I was behind them. I had to smirk to myself in the car. I now knew where my Eddie lived. And nobody knew that I knew. I was definitely getting sneakier than they gave me credit for.

I would now bide my time. I would wait until I had the perfect opportunity or reason to leave my home and drive to the little town where my Eddie lived. He was my Eddie. He loved me, he just didn't realise it yet. When he did, he would leave that no good tramp and come to me. I was counting down the days until I could see him again. I would have to be careful. If I wasn't then that _Bella_ would be tipped off and she would never leave him alone again. I would have to wait. As much as it pained me to be away from my Eddie. I would have to wait.

I didn't have to wait as long as I thought.

One day I heard that there was a party. I knew that it would be a good release for me to go and get laid. And I needed to get laid. Desperately.

It was being held on some cliffs somewhere. I knew that where it was was close to where my Eddie lived. There was a chance he could be there, and even if he wasn't, I knew where he lived. I could just leave the party and go to his house. Even if I couldn't be with him, that he knew of, I could be happy to know that he was there, that he was near to me. And while I was there, I could formulate my plan to get Eddie to leave that bitch and his family and come with me. It had to be perfect.

I had been turning down guys ever since I had come out of the hospital. Something that was extremely hard for me to do, because I was used to getting it whenever and wherever I wanted it. I wanted my next conquest to be Eddie. And he was one that I wasn't going to let go. He was going to be mine.

One way or another.

**Do you hate me?  
I know it seems weird to have her in POV in the story, but I wanted to do the psycho POV. It had been going through my head all day, and I knew that I had to write it.  
Don't hate me.  
You notice that her thoughts get more and more psycho-ish as the chapter carries on. Yup, that's the way I intended it :P  
Please review.  
xx**


	31. Tanya Contd

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Tanya POV (nope I'm not done with her yet :P)**

It was the day of the party.

The day when I was finally going to see my Eddie again.

I had been waiting for this party ever since Irina had mentioned it to Kate, Carmen and Eleazar. They didn't know that I was going. Oh well, they would soon enough.

I didn't talk to them the whole day, and I knew that they didn't want to talk to me. I didn't care. None of them interested me anyway. The only thing I was interested in today was that I was going to see my Eddie. I would make him mine, one way or another.

I walked down the stairs after getting ready and I practically walked into Kate, who shot me an evil glare as I walked past her.

"And where are _you_ going?" She spat at me, venom in her voice.

"A party." I replied smugly, flicking my hair over my shoulder.

"The one at La Push?" She stood there and crossed her arms over her chest. She was ready to go out as well, but there was no way that she looked as good as I did. But then again, nobody ever looked as good as I did. I had a look that nobody could recreate. It was mine alone. And I relished that fact.

"Yes." I stated simply, smiling at her before I walked out of the door and climbed into my car. I didn't need a ride to find out where it was. I didn't want to be stuck in a car with any of them at all.

When I got to the beach, it was already dark and I saw that the party had already gotten going. It looked like it had been going for quite a while, which didn't bother me. Everyone knew that parties never really got good until the sun went down anyway. I looked around for any decent looking guys. I found a couple, and made my way over to them.

"Hi," I said, twirling my hair around my fingers and fluttering my eyelashes. They responded in the same way at all guys did. The stood there and stared at me for a moment before they sputtered and tried to talk. I smirked, knowing that I hadn't lost my touch with the guys. I pretended to be interested in what they were saying while I let my gaze wander around over the beach.

I told them that I was going to get a drink, telling them to stay there and that I would find them again in a few minutes. I wouldn't of course. These guys were all about talking and that was something I did not want to do. I wanted to get on with my plan, but I had to make it look like I was mingling in case my crappy sisters were here somewhere, as I knew they would be.

Then I saw him.

He was here!

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face. I would make him mine. Either tonight, or soon. It would happen soon.

He looked even better now than he had done in the clinic. He had muscles now. Something that hadn't been there before, and they definitely made him look much better than before. They weren't excessive like some of the guys that I had been with, but they were clearly defined, showing strength. I would have to get him to work on them a bit more when he was mine. I couldn't have anyone thinking he was weak could I? He looked gorgeous in the firelight and that only made me want him more. I was going to work extra hard to make him mine. It _had _to be tonight.

I _had_ to get him tonight.

As I got closer though I saw that _she _was in his arms. He still hadn't managed to break free of her little spell then? Well he would soon. I would make sure of it.

"EDDIE!" I cried and he noticed me. I know he did. He didn't look at me, and I knew that he didn't want to tip of to that little slut of his how he really felt about me. Well, she would know soon enough. They seemed to be talking to each other. I didn't hear what about but I had a guess. It was obviously about me. He was probably trying to convince her that he didn't like me, when deep in his heart he knew that he did. Then she goes and fucking kisses him! Right in front of me! It took all of my strength not to tackle her. I knew that I had to play things calm and collected. If my plan was going to work that is. I walked up to them and stopped. "Eddie! How are you?" I held my arms out, showing him that I wanted a hug. He didn't respond apart from standing there glaring at me. _He's a good actor_! I thought to myself, so I decided to pretend I didn't have a clue. "I've missed you!" Again, no response. _Damn, he's good_! "What? No hug?" I knew that that voice would annoy his little bitch no end. It was the voice I used whenever I wanted to piss off my sisters and brother. It always worked on them, so I had no worries about it working on her. I stepped towards him, which he responded to by moving the two of them away from me. He really was a good actor. He knew exactly what to do. "How have you been?"

"Fine," He replied simply. I couldn't make out the emotion in his voice but I knew that I didn't really like it. Oh, well. It's a good thing that he's only acting then isn't it? Then she has to go and fucking kiss his neck! That made my blood boil. How dare she kiss my Eddie?! How dare she?! She'll be out of the picture soon enough anyway. And then I'll have him all to myself.

Again, I pretended to be oblivious and act like there weren't a million death thoughts going through my head. Which probably didn't work very well, seeing as she was shooting daggers at me. Think that's intimidating little lady? You ain't seen nothing yet. "So, I see the two of you are still together." I could hear the venom in my own voice and I really didn't care. She knew I hated her, and she hated me. But not nearly as much as she was going to when I was the one who had those strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"Obviously so," The little witch shot back at me. I glared at her, with her hands all over my Eddie. Her head lying on his chest where mine should be. Everything was wrong with this picture. It should be me standing there with him and her in my place. Not the way it was now. This was all wrong.

"So, hows that going?" I made sure I glared at _Bella_ but not at Eddie. I wanted him to know that I didn't hate _him_ and I wasn't mad at _him_. It was just that little bitch that he was clinging to at the moment, that I hated.

"Exceptionally well." Eddie said, looking down at her.

"We're getting married." She said looking at me smugly. _That's_ _what you think_, I thought. I wanted to kill her, but I didn't want to hurt Eddie, and I knew that with him standing there like that I would if I attacked her now.

I could feel the anger bubbling up in my chest. She had manipulated my Eddie so much so that he had asked her to _marry_ him?! I knew that I had to get him away from her as soon as possible. To save him. I could feel the hate that I was feeling in my chest coming through in my glare, but I didn't care. I wanted her to know how mad I was at her. She was going to trap Eddie. I could feel it. I knew what her plan was. She would marry him, and get pregnant before he had a chance to realise that it was a huge mistake. I hated to think of him doing anything like that with her, but I knew that was her plan. I had to get him out, as soon as I could.

I flicked my hair over my shoulder, wanting to appear like it wasn't as huge of a deal as it really was to me. "So, when's the wedding?" I asked, looking at Edward.

"As soon as possible." _She_ answered me. I glared at her and she glared straight back. This little bitch has some guts. No one usually stood up to me in this way. "And I wouldn't expect an invite if I were you."

"Oh, well that's not fair." I looked back to Edward, who wasn't paying attention to me. He really was a good actor. But then again he's had years of experience, so I only expected the best from my future man. "You want to see me, don't you Eddie?"

"Okay, Tanya." My Eddie sounded annoyed. Maybe he was getting annoyed at the fact that my being there was jeopardising the plan. But no. He couldn't get angry with me. It must be _her_ that he's getting angry with. "First off, _don't_ call me Eddie. I really _really_ hate it. And second, no I don't want to see you, now or at _our_ wedding, because frankly, you annoy the living hell out of me. I didn't want you in the clinic and I sure as hell don't want you now."

After he said that he walked away from me, taking _her_ with him.

_Good boy_, I thought. This makes it better. It'll break her little heart even more if she gets her hopes up further and further before he leaves her and she falls back down to earth, knowing that she was nowhere near good enough for my Eddie.

I watched them go, not following them for now, but still keeping an eye on them. I needed to see what they were doing. I was going to teach that little bitch a lesson, one on one as soon as I can. I kept my eye on them all night, refusing any male company that I was offered. And that was a lot. Obviously guys here had taste. But there was only one that I was interested in. And I had a perfect view.

I watched when he sat down with that little trollop. I watched when his cute blonde brother walked over to him and sat with him. I watched them talking for a few minutes. And then I watched as Eddie and the blonde stood up. The blonde took off running, my Eddie hot on his heels.

This was my perfect opportunity.

"You're not going to keep him, you know?" I remarked, walking up and standing behind her.

I heard her sigh as she stood up. I couldn't help but look smug. I knew I was right. He would be mine soon, but I wasn't going to enlighten her on that fact right now. I was going to let her stir. "And why is that?" She asked.

"Because he belongs with someone who can handle him." _Someone like me._ I added on in my head, smirking at her.

"Oh, and I guess that you would think that you're the apropriate person for that role then?" There we go. Somebody's catching on.

"Actually, yes I do." I crossed my arms, daring her to disagree with my statement. She wouldn't. But then again, she was dumb enough to think that she could handle someone like Eddie in the first place.

"Right," She gave me a strange expression. "So it that were true why did he ask _me_ to marry him, when he asked for you to be shipped to another wing of the clinic, because he couldn't stand you? Seems like odd behaviour towards someone that you _should_ be with, don't you think?" She thought that she was being smart, but what she didn't realise was that she was outlining the brilliance of my plan to split them up.

"He likes me." I told her, putting it plainly and simply enough for her to understand. "He just doesn't know it yet."

She moved around the log that was in between us and stood directly in front of me. "Right. Now listen to me Tanya. Edward is my _fiance_. Got it? You see this?" She held up her left hand and I saw an enormous ring glittering there. A ring that _should_ be on my finger and not on the finger of this little whore. "_This_ little beauty was given to me by Edward. When he asked me to marry him. He _loves_ me. You got that? now, I don't want you to come near Edward _ever_ again. Do you hear me? Or I might just be able to convince him to file a harrassment charge against you, and oop! My father, happens to be the chief of police and very fond of Edward, so he will not even doubt the two of us, if and when we ask him to file it for us. Do you want that? Hey, Tanya?" She couldn't really do that could she? She was bluffing. She had to be. There was no way that her father was chief of police. I would have to ask somebody who looked like they would know. "Oh, and you see those two over there?" She pointed over my shoulder and I turned to see the two girls that had been at the clinic that day. _Edward's sisters_ I guessed as they waved at me smiling. I didn't wave back. They weren't worth my time. "Neither of them will hesitate to beat your ass. Especially the blonde." If she thought that she was going to intimidate me, she had another thing coming. I was not backing down from this. Eddie will be _mine_. She took a step towards me now. "She's a _nasty_ piece of work." She hissed at me, as though she really believed it.

When she stood away from me I didn't know what to say. Nobody had ever spoken to me like that. No one had ever dared. Everybody knew who my Daddy was and everybody gave me everything that I wanted.

"What's the matter, Tan? Never been spoken to like that before?" I didn't want to have to deal with this bitch tonight. I wanted to get on with my plan to get Eddie. She bounded up to the little wench and gave her a huge hug, her boyfriend Felix walking behind her laughing. What is it with people and getting in the way of what I want. "Get lost Tanya." She said turning back to me. "And stay away from Edward. Or I'll make sure that your credit cards are cut off again. _All_ of them." She wouldn't dare. The last time she had done that, I hadn't been able to go shopping for a whole week and it almost drove me insane. Almost.

I stood there and glared at Irina. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Felix talking and laughing with the little bitch. Yet another person she had wrapped around her little finger. She called Irina and my sister shot me one more evil look, which I returned before she turned around.

She started squealing and jumping up and down and I knew that that bitch was showing her the ring that was on her finger. The ring that should be on _my_ finger, not hers!

Then I saw him!

He had come back!

But he had to go and wrap his arms around her, while Irina grilled him. I wanted to scream and shout that it should be me standing where she was. That it should be me marrying the most gorgeous guy in the world. It should be me getting everything that little slut was getting. I wanted to barge past Irina and rip her mangy hair out. I wanted to show her that _I_ was the best person here. That there was no one better for Eddie than I was.

When he kissed her I couldn't handle it anymore. I had to walk off before I did something that would jeopardize my getting together with Eddie.

I walked over to a rock and sat down. I could still see them all, sitting down and laughing by the fire. It should be me, sitting there in Eddie's lap. Sitting there, with both our families, surrounded by laughter. It should be _her_ sat out here. Everything she had should be mine. Deserved to be mine. _Would_ be mine.

"It's useless you know?" I heard a voice coming up next to me. I looked up to see a small brown haired girl looking between me and Eddie. "With Edward. There's no point."

"Yes, there is." I snapped back.

"Trust us." Another voice said, and a blonde girl approached. She was taller than the brown haired girl, probably the same height as me, but she wasn't as pretty. Nobody was. "We've tried. There's no getting through them. I'm Lauren by the way. This is Jess." She indicated the brown haired girl that had now sat down at my feet.

"So," Jess asked me. "Where do you know Edward from?"

"We were in the clinic together." I told her, still watching my Eddie from where I was sat.

"Clinic?" Lauren asked, looking at Jess. "What clinic?"

I looked between the two of them. "What?" I asked as they stared at me, their mouths open. "You didn't know that Edward was in a clinic?"

They both shook their heads. "What for?" Lauren asked, a grin spreading across her face.

"Anorexia." I stated simply and their mouths almost hit the floor. Well well well, it seems that someone hasn't been entirely truthful about where he's been for the last eight months. Time to remedy that.

"Are you serious?" Jess asked me and I nodded looking her in the eyes. "Oh my God. This is HUGE!" The two of them started chatting amongst themselves, seemingly pointing out things that should have been obvious, but obviously weren't because they weren't looking for them.

Maybe I could use this to my advantage.

**Uh-oh.  
That's all I'm going to say :P  
Please review  
xx**


	32. The Morning After

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Heehee, a lot of people were a tad freaked out by the Tanya POV, which is the exact response I wanted :P Anyways, back to our beloved couple :D**

**BPOV**

I woke up to unfamiliar sounds and smells.

_The ocean?_ I thought, not opening my eyes. _How the hell can I hear the ocean? Did Edward or Charlie get a new "sounds of nature" CD or something?_

I opened my eyes to see that I was still on the beach. I looked around to see that I was lying on the sand, surrounded by the Cullens, the Denali's and their respective spouses. I tried to sit up, but was unable to due to the tightening of the arms that were wrapped around my waist. I twisted around to see Edward asleep next to me, a small smile touching his lips. The way his eyelashes created slight shadows underneath his eyes was adorable. I could see that his eyes were moving underneath his eyelids. He was dreaming. That thought made me smile even more.

I kissed the end of his nose and gently unwrapped his arms from around my waist. He was reluctant to let go, being strong, even in sleep but after a couple of minutes of wriggling I was able to get loose.

I stood up and shook all the sand off of my clothes and out of my hair. Looking down at the circle of friends I had fallen asleep in last night, I smiled to myself. Emmett and Jasper had managed to fall asleep sitting up, back to back. It was funny because they were both sitting there, legs spread out in front of them, heads lolled back on each others shoulders, mouths open, snoring. I took out my phone and snapped a picture of the two of them. I couldn't resist. Hey, maybe I could use if for future blackmail if it was required.

I looked at Rose and Alice. Those two were just cute. They were both curled up together, seemingly shielding each other from the wind and cold that was this morning. It was too cute. I didn't take a picture of those two. It was more than my life's worth to do that. And I knew what I would be subjected to if they ever found the picture.

The Denali's were all curled up together. Irina and Felix and Kate and Garrett were all curled up in each other's arms. They looked the same as I thought Edward and I must have looked before I got up. There were two other people I didn't recognise. There was another very pretty blonde girl and a dark haired guy lying asleep next to Irina and Felix. I supposed that must be Carmen and Eleazar, their other brother and sister. Hopefully, the other one had disappeared off the face of the planet because after last night, I really didn't want to deal with her.

"Bella!" Someone called me from a little way away. I turned around to see Angela running towards me, a slightly worried look on her face. "Bella!"

I walked around the log that Edward had been leaning against and jogged towards her, praying that I wouldn't trip. "Sssh, Ang!" I hushed her as she got closer. She looked at me in confusion and I pointed to the still sleeping group. Her mouth formed a little "oh" as she realised what I meant. "Let's walk." I suggested and she nodded. "What's up?"

"Um," She seemed reluctant to talk.

"Angela. What's wrong?" I asked her, stopping.

She turned around to face me, her expression telling me that she had an internal war going on in her mind.

At that moment, three guys walked past us, apparently taking an early morning dip in the ocean. They were all laughing and joking but when they looked at me their expression changed. They stopped laughing and looked at me with .... what.....pity? What was that about? I shook my head, ridding myself off the image and looked around. I noticed a lot of people were looking at me in the same way. Their eyes were flicking between me and the sleeping group that I had just left. _What the hell is going on?_ I thought. Had I made a spectacle of myself last night? No. I couldn't have. I didn't drink anything last night. Maybe word had spread about our little confrontation with Tanya. That didn't explain the expressions on their faces though.

"Angela. What's going on?" I asked her and she looked at me with the same expression that everyone else was wearing.

"Everyone knows, Bella." She whispered simply, not looking me in the eye.

"Knows what?" I asked her. She didn't answer. She was starting to worry me now. "Angela? You're scaring me now. What does everyone know?"

"About Edward." She whispered, barely aubile.

I froze momentarily. I decided to play dumb. "What about him?"

"Everyone knows that he was in the hospital ..... for ....." She took a deep breath, still not meeting my gaze. "Anorexia." She whispered the last bit and I felt my eyes go wide.

"W-w-what?" I stammered. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. It wasn't Angela's fault. It couldn't have been. She didn't know. "How?" I whispered. I couldn't make my voice work.

"I don't know how." She sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "People have been talking about it all morning. I just heard and I thought I should come tell you. I'm sorry, Bells."

"No, don't apologise, Ang." I was still trying to process what I had just heard. "Who told you?"

"Jessica told me." She said. "I don't know how she found out, but she.....she thought that it was pretty funny."

"She thought it was funny?!" I heard my voice getting louder and Angela flinched. "I'm sorry, Ang. I didn't mean to shout. It's just....a lot to take in....you know."

"You....you _did_ know, right?" She thought that I didn't know why Edward had been in the hospital.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course I knew." I ran a hand through my hair. Something I had unconsciously picked up from Edward as he was constantly doing that. "That's where I was those few months I wasn't in school." I explained. "I was in there with him." I pinched the bridge of my nose. Another trait obtained from Edward. "But how? How could people have-" I stopped as realisation dawned on me. "Tanya!" I spat.

"Who?" Angela sounded confused.

Some part of me knew that it was Jessica who had spread the story. It wouldn't surprise me if Lauren had had a hand in it too. "Angela. You have to tell me. Did you see either Jessica or Lauren talking to a blonde girl last night?"

"Um," She thought for a moment. "Yeah, come to think of it I did."

"Shit!" I ran my hands through my hair again, clenching my hands into fists, pulling on my hair almost painfully. "Just great." I took a deep breath. "Come with me. Please." I looked at her and she nodded. I walked back over to where the group was still sleeping and gently woke Irina up. She mumbled something about cheese and I couldn't help but smile, even with the severity of the situation. "Irina? Irina, come on wake up." She opened her eyes and looked at me grumpily. "We have a major situation."

Her eyes snapped open immediately and she sat up as far as Felix's arms would allow her to. "What's wrong?" I glanced at Edward, who was beginning to stir. She looked between the two of us, a perplexed look on her face. "Bella?"

"Let's just say, your sister is going to die." I hissed, my voice laced with venom.

That got Irina's attention immediately and it seemed that she was even more alert than she had been. Impressive considering she had been awake all of a minute. "What's she done?" She growled.

"Yeah." I heard a sleepy voice call. I turned around and saw that Rosalie and Alice were waking up. "What's that bitch done now?"

"I think everyone needs to be awake to hear this." I said softly. Even though I didn't really want Edward to know, I knew he had to. It affected him more than it did everyone else.

Irina got to work waking up her family. It seemed that Kate was even harder to wake up than Rosalie was when she didn't want to get out of bed. She mumbled and slapped out at Irina sleeply, which caused a few giggles. But like Irina, when Tanya was mentioned she was straight up as was Garrett, Felix and who I guessed were Carmen and Eleazar.

I walked over and gently woke Edward. He mumbled sleepily and slowly opened his eyes, before smiling at me. "Come on, sleepyhead." I cooed and he grinned at me. "There's something serious I need to tell you."

"What's wrong, love?" He immediately sat up, a look of worry on his face. "What is it?"

"Everyone needs to be awake to hear this." I said, settling down next to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me onto his lap and I looked over to where Jasper and Emmett were still asleep, leaning on each other, in the exact same position they had been in when I woke up this morning. I picked up a small stone and threw it at Jasper, hitting him on the chest. He woke up and groggily looked around.

"Whoa!" He cried as he noticed Emmett's head on his shoulder. He stood up faster than I have ever seen him move, causing Emmett to fall backwards, his legs flailing in the air. He stood there staring between the group and Emmett who was now spluttering and spitting out a mouthful of sand, trying to sit up at the same time. It was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen. And being around those two conjured up a fair share of funny moments.

"What? What? What?" Emmett mumbled groggily, looking around at everyone who was laughing at him.

"Oh, somebody should have got a picture of that!" Edward said, chuckling. I pulled out my phone and showed him the picture that I had taken. He laughed out loud and Jasper and Emmett looked at me, Jasper in annoyance and disbelief, Emmett in confusion. That was another picture worthy moment, but I thought I'd better not push my luck.

"Okay, everybody." Irina said, still giggling at the two brothers. "Bella has something that she needs to tell us."

I gulped, not wanting to have to do this, but knowing I had no other choice.

"What is it, love?" Edward asked, gently kissing the soft skin just behind my ear.

"Um," I looked at Angela and she nodded for me to go on. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "Everybody knows ...... about Edward." I whispered and I felt him go rigid beneath me. I opened my eyes and saw the looks of shock and disbelief that were pasted onto my friends faces. "They know everything."

"How?" Edward hissed in my ear. "How do they know?"

"Tanya!" Irina growled. "That bitch!"

"I agree." I said sternly. I looked at Edward and he had an indescribable look on his face. I kissed his cheek and he looked at me, pain in his beautiful green eyes. "It'll be okay. We'll sort it." He nodded blankly.

"Where is she?" Rosalie growled in the same manner as Irina, standing up and looking around.

"She won't be here now." I stated. "You really think that she'd sleep on the beach?"

"No I guess not." Rose admitted. She walked over to Edward and I and sat on the log next to his shoulder. "What are we going to to?"

"We have to dispel the rumours as soon as possible." Jasper said, running a hand through his hair as be began pacing. "People ask us, we'll deny it all."

"You think that will work?" Alice asked, looking at him.

"It's all we can do." He said. He stopped pacing and took out his phone. "We have to tell Mom and Dad. They need to know." He opened his phone and pressed a couple of buttons. He held the phone to his ear and waited for either Carlisle or Esme to pick up. "Dad?....Yeah, I know it's early, I'm sorry. But we have a serious problem." He took a deep breath. "People know about Edward, where he's been and what for." He waited for a response. "I don't know. I really don't." He paused again, listening to his father on the other end of the line. "No. We've only just found out." Another pause. "Yeah. Okay. We'll see you soon." He snapped the phone shut and looked at us all. "Dad wants us to go home. Now."

We all nodded and stood up. I looked at Edward and he looked so lost. It was as if eveything that he had worked for had been stripped away from him. In some ways it had. He had wanted to put everything behind him and live a life filled with some sort of normality. That was gone now. All of it had slipped away just because of one stupid bitch that couldn't keep her fucking mouth shut.

I took his face between my hands and pulled him down so that his lips met mine. "It's going to be okay." I whispered and he nodded slowly. "I'm gonna make it okay."

He kissed my forehead and pulled me close to him. "I love you." He whispered against my hair.

"And I love you," I kissed his neck gently. "More than I could ever express." I looked up at him. "Let's go home." He nodded and we all quickly walked to the cars, ignoring any pointed looks or remarks that were coming at us from all sides. I stopped at the Volvo and looked behind me at Irina and the others. "Do you guys want to come to the Cullens'?" I looked at the others, making sure it was okay with them and they all nodded, looks of fury still on their faces. I knew it wasn't directed at any present company. It was directed at the one missing Denali sister. The one who was going to have her head ripped off the next time I saw her. "Get cleaned up and everything."

Irina looked around at her family. "Only if that's okay." The Cullens' all nodded at her and the others again.

"You remember the way?" Rose asked and Irina nodded.

"Yeah," She confirmed. "The others can follow me if that's alright with you guys." This last statement was directed at her family, who nodded in response.

We climbed into our respective cars and began the drove home. Edward was silent for the whole journey. I reached out and took one of his hands off of the steering wheel and gave it a tight squeeze. He glanced at me and smiled. I didn't release his hand, but let our intertwined hands rest in between us, comfortably and unspoken conversation happening between the two of us. He needed to know that I was there for him, that I wasn't going anywhere. He _had_ to know that. I made a decision in my mind in that moment.

I would have to talk to Charlie when I got home.

We pulled up to the house and got out of the car. We waited for the Denali's to appear in the driveway before we went inside. I wanted to get out of the cold and get washed, seeing as I still had a good amount of sand in places I really didn't want them. I had my sneaking suspicions that the others did as well.

Walking through the door, we were met with an anxious Carlisle and Esme. They rushed out of the kitchen and met us before we had even had time to pull off our shoes.

"What happened?" Esme gasped.

"Calm down, dear." Carlisle placed an arm around her shoulders, attempting to calm her down. It really wasn't working. "Bella, you need to tell us what happened."

We walked into the living room and waited for everyone else to join us before I told them what had happened. I started with our meeting with Tanya last night, earning a couple of death threats and hisses from Rosalie and Irina. Carlisle may not have been able to say anything to Irina about it but he reprimanded his daughter who didn't respond. If I knew Rose as well as I thought I did, I knew that she was imagining the many different ways she could torture Tanya to death. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't thinking the same thing. I went on to say about my second meeting with her, something that Edward wasn't too happy to hear about, and then what I had been told when I'd woken up that morning.

"This is something that needs to be stopped." Carlisle stood up and ran his hands through his hair. Hmmm, I wondered whether that was where Edward got his habit from. Something I would have to watch for later on. _Focus, Bella._ I scolded myself. _Focus!_ "Now."

"How are we supposed to stop it?" Alice asked, her voice full of worry. She wasn't bubbly and bright this morning, as she was most mornings and it was unnerving.

"In any way we can." Carlisle turned to face us all. "I'll try to stop the gossip at the hospital. Esme, if you could convince, say, the parents and that that you meet up with, that what they're hearing isn't true." She nodded. Esme was a member of various clubs that took place in Forks. It had started off last year as a way of meeting people, getting to know the other mothers and people in the town. Now she did it through enjoyment. She enjoyed everything she did. The best thing was, Jessica Stanley's mother was in all of them, and probably a bigger gossip than her mother. If Esme could get to her, then there was a good chance we could stop this. "You kids are obviously going to run into people that you know from school over the summer. If they say anything to you, which knowing kids they will do, do whatever you can to convince them that what they think they know is wrong." We all nodded. "Edward, Bella, you two probably have the hardest job." We looked at him apprehensively. "Acting like there is nothing wrong."

That would be hard. It would be hard to see people looking at Edward the way they did and to not do anything about it. But if I did, then there was a good chance that they would realise that what they had heard was in fact the truth. We had to do everything we could to get rid of the rumours and talking as quickly as possible. And it was something we would do.

For Edward.

I hated to think of what this was doing to him. He had hardly spoken a word all morning. I hated seeing him like this. I had never really seen him this way before. Even in the past, when he has been unresponsive to the people and flurries of movement around him, there was always some recognition in his eyes. But today there was nothing. I couldn't see anything. His eyes had returned to being the blank, lifeless green that I had first seen almost a year ago. I couldn't handle that. I needed the new Edward back. I couldn't handle having brought him this far, to have him finally believe in himself for once to have that all stripped away.

Everyone was still talking in the living room when I excused myself. I needed a shower and I needed one now. I felt incredibly uncomfortable and dirty at the moment. _Note to self_, I thought as I walked up the stairs. _Never fall asleep on the beach again._

As I reached Edward's bedroom I noticed that the door was open. I couldn't remember leaving it open when we left. Had we? Edward normally never left his door open. I shrugged as I walked in, thinking that Carlisle or Esme must have been in there for some reason and not shut the door properly. But then, Carlisle and Esme never went into any of their children's rooms without their permission. As I closed the door behind me I knew that something wasn't right.

I shrugged it off and walked over to Edward's walk-in closet, opening the door and walking to the section that Alice had created for me. Her argument was that I spent so much time here anyway, I might as well have my own section in Edward's closet. I didn't really complain, purely because I knew that it would do me no good whatsoever. She never listened to anyone else's opinion when it came to matters of fashion. I didn't blame her for that. It was just Alice.

I grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, all Alice-approved obviously, and some fresh underwear before exiting the closet. I grabbed a towel and walked into the bathroom, locking the door in case anyone else, other than Edward, came into the room. I didn't really mind if Edward did, seeing as he was my fiance, but anyone else, I'd rather not have them looking at me like that.

I let the hot water relax all of my muscles before I washed my hair through with my favourite shampoo. Looking at the bathroom, you would definitely know that it was a shared bathroom. It had a lot of my stuff in it. It had my favourite shampoo and conditioner, as well as my body wash and lotions that were mixed in with Edwards. There were two toothbrushes in a single glass next to the sink and various soaps and razors on the shelves that we both used.

_At least we know that we'll be able to work out bathroom space when we get a place of our own._ I smiled at that thought. I relished the thought of spending the rest of my life with Edward, even though I knew he would seriously doubt that now that people knew. I hated knowing what he could be thinking. I knew that he would be thinking that I didn't want to be with him now that everybody knew. I would have to show him that I didn't care, and that I wanted to be with him no matter what.

_Definitely need to talk to Charlie_. I thought, rinsing off my hair and turning off the shower.

I stepped out and towelled myself dry, pulling on my new clothes. I dried my hair using the hairdryer that Esme had had built into the wall when I started spending so much time here. I thanked her for that. It was a blessing. After I had dried my hair, I walked out into the bedroom and dumped my dirty clothes and used towel into the hamper that was just outside his bathroom door. I walked over to the bed, hoping to relax a little before I had to go back downstairs.

I lay back onto the pillows and inhaled the scent of Edward, smiling. But there was something off. I looked over to the side, looking at his bedside table. I wanted to see the picture of the two of us that I loved. The one of him and me at the clinic, laughing and smiling. But there was something wrong.

It was gone.

Where the hell was it?

Would he have moved it?

No, he wouldn't have done that. Edward loved that picture as much as I did. There was no way he would have gotten rid of it. To him, it symbolised the first day that he had felt somewhat whole and loved. It showed the two of us as a united front. Ready to take on the world. He loved that photograph.

Where the hell was it?

I looked around the room, searching for it, but I couldn't see it amongst his books and music collections. I was getting worried now. Something was clearly not right. It had been here before we left last night, and yet it wasn't here now. Where the hell could it have gone? The only ones that were here last night were Carlisle and Esme and there was no way that they would take that photo, unless they were getting it copied for some reason. And even if they were, they would have asked first.

"Looking for this?" I heard someone ask.

I whipped around and saw who it was standing in the doorway to the closet.

"What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Think. You're. Doing?" I hissed slowly and menacingly. Rosalie would be proud of me.

This had to end.

Now!

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	33. Intruder

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**BPOV**

Hell no!

This was not happening.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I hissed, making my way off the bed. "Haven't you done enough already?"

She smirked at me. "Such a cute couple." She looked at the picture in her hand. "Too bad."

"Get the fuck out!" I pointed towards the door but she just laughed.

"You can't tell me what to do, Isabella." She smirked again. "This isn't your house, your room."

"Actually, I share this room with Edward. So technically, it i_s_ my room." I walked towards her. "And as for you, you can be done for breaking and entering and harrassment, you insane psycho bitch!"

Her expression turned sour. "You have no idea who you're talking to."

"Oh, I think I do." I snapped. "I'm talking to a cheap, nasty, bleached blonde tramp, that thinks she can get what she wants if she bothers people enough. I'm talking to a snippy, snidy, cheating whore who can't learn to accept when she's been beaten. Get it through your thick skull Tanya,. He doesn't fucking WANT YOU!" I ended up screaming the last part at her.

"How dare-"

"How dare I?" I snapped, losing what little control I had managed to keep a hold on. "How dare _I_? What the fuck are you on Tanya? You come in here. Break into my fiance's house, when his parents are still here, mind you, you break into his bedroom, go through who knows what, and you have the audacity to have a go at me for talking to you in a way that you're not happy with. You need your head checking!! You know that right? You cannot just break into somebody's house because you like them. You know what that's called? Huh, Tanya? Do you? It's called being a fucking stalker! And you know what? You can land yourself in prison for that! Now, I am going to make sure that your little skank ass doesn't come anywhere near my Edward, yes _my_ Edward, not yours, or anybody else's. _Mine_! I am going to make sure that you don't come anywhere near him, ever again, you hear me. Now, GET THE FUCK OUT!!!!"

"Bella?!" I heard people coming up the stairs as I glared at the psychotic bitch that was standing in the doorway to Edward's, well if you thought about it rationally, Edward and my closet. I didn't notice who it was who came into the room, but there were a lot of them. I was guessing that it was everybody, possibly minus the Denali's, that had been sat downstairs.

"What the fuck?!" I heard Rose cry. She stormed over to the skank standing in front of me and grabbed her by the front of her shirt, pinning her to the wall next to the closet. "What the fuck are you doing here? You fucking psycho!" This was why I never got on the bad side of Rosalie. She could be scary when the time called for it, and now it definitely did. Tanya dropped the photo that she was holding and I heard the glass break as it made contact with the floor.

I looked over and saw the others standing in the doorway. Esme had a look of horror on her face. Alice was making her way over to me, and I leaned into her slightly as she wrapped her arms around me. Emmett and Jasper were standing either side of Edward, although Emmett was slightly in front of him, as though protecting him from the psycho that was now feeling the wrath of Rosalie.

Edward's face was one I never wanted to see again. It was a look of sheer horror. His gaze was fixed on Tanya and Rose, his eyes wide with worry and fear. I could tell he was trying to process how somebody could have been in his room, the way that she had been. He had never had anything remotely like this happen before. I couldn't really say that I had either, but I knew how terrified he must be. I removed myself from Alice's grasp and made my way over to Edward.

His gaze snapped to me and his features softened as he started to make his way towards me. I met him in the middle of the room and threw my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled his face into my neck. I kissed his shoulder gently and he clund to me tightly, but not painfully. I pulled back slightly and crashed my lips to his, something that he reciprocated.

I heard a scream come from across the room and I broke the kiss to see Rose clutching at her head and Tanya launching herself at me.

She knocked me away from Edward and we both went crashing into the wall, causing one of the stands that held a collection of Edward's many CD's to fall to the floor, which barrelled into a stand that held some of his numerous books, creating a domino effect. She had her hands around my throat and I knew she wasn't going to let up any time soon.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" She was screaming at me. "HE'S MINE! HE SHOULD BE MINE! IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT HE'S NOT WITH ME!! HE DOESN'T LOVE YOU!! HE LOVES ME!" She kept screaming at me, pressing down on my throat. I reached around for something to hit her with and my hand fell on something hard. _A book! Perfect!_ I thought as I brought it up to connect with her head. She screamed and rolled off of me.

Edward was by my side in an instant. He took me in his arms and held me close to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked over to where Tanya was being held back by Emmett. She may have been able to fend off Rose and take me by surprise but there was no way that she was going to be able to fight off Emmett.

Carlisle appeared in the doorway behind Jasper at that moment in time and surveyed what was going on around the room. Alice and Esme were now tending to Rose, who was bleeding slightly from a cut right above her left eye, Edward was comforting me on the ground by his bed and Emmett was holding back Tanya who was trying to attack me again. All in all a calm morning in the Cullen household.

"I've asked the Denali's to remain downstairs, although they all wanted to come up and, um, "take care" of Tanya in their own way, after I explained that she was in our house." Carlisle explained. He saw that Edward had his hand tentatively on my neck and he came over to check me out. "Hmmm, it'll bruise." He said after taking a look at my neck. "But other than that it'll be okay." He stood up again. "I've called the police. Bella your father should be here momentarily." He turned to face Tanya. "You." He moved over towards her. "You are in big trouble. Not only do you tell people about my son, when it's obvious that we don't want people to know. Then you decide to break into my house, you physically harm my daughter, before you attack Bella, who is practically my daughter. And for what? Because someone else has something you want?"

"I don't just want him." She snarled at Carlisle. "He belongs with me. He loves me, don't you Eddie?"

I felt Edward, physically shiver and cringe at her words. He held on to me tighter and I increased my hold on him.

"Well," Jasper said walking into the room. "I think it's safe to say that he doesn't."

"He's just pretending, aren't you Eddie?" She seemed so convinced. "He doesn't want to be mean to _her_ and tell her outright that he loves me. My Eddie's much to nice for that. We're going to run away together, aren't we Eddie?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him and I looked up to see him looking at her in utter disgust. He actually looked like he was going to throw up at the thought of going anywhere with her.

"Get her out of here!" Carlisle hissed. I had never seen him so pissed. Well, maybe once, but still, Carlisle pissed was not something I enjoyed seeing. He may be the calm and passive doctor most of the time, but even he can't be blamed if he gets a bit annoyed when some psycho has broken into his youngest son's bedroom attacked his family.

"What do I do with her?" Emmett asked, keeping a firm hold on Tanya, who was still trying to wriggle free, not realising that there is no escape from Emmett's grip.

"I don't know." Carlisle admitted, walking over to Rose, making sure that she was alright. "Shove her in a closet somewhere. I don't really care. Charlie will be here soon anyway. Just don't let her leave." He added onto the end and Emmett nodded, dragging Tanya out of the room, grinning evilly, Jasper following closely behind. I didn't want to know where he was thinking of putting her. Hopefully the basement. There were no windows or anything in there, there was no way of escape from the basement.

Edward pressed his lips to my temple and ran his fingers through my hair. Something caused him to freeze. He pulled his hands away and a look of shock appeared on his face. "Carlisle!" He called and Carlisle's head snapped towards us. Edward showed his hand to Carlisle and I really wished that I hadn't been looking at the time, as I immediately started feeling ill and dizzy.

His fingers were coated in blood.

My blood.

"Bella? Bella?" Carlisle called and I opened my eyes to look at him. "Bella, it's okay." He moved around to inspect the back of my head, gently moving my hair out of the way. "Can someone get some ice!" He called and Alice immediately ran down the stairs. "It doesn't look too deep. It doesn't look as though it'll need any stitches, which is good." He was mumbling to himself but I could hear every word. At least Tanya's attack hadn't done too much damage. Alice appeared moments later with a bag full of ice cubes that she had taken out of the freezer. "Bella, do you want one?" He had obviously felt that having ice cubes would be better than a glass of water. I nodded and Alice popped one out of one of the individual holders for the ice. I popped it in my mouth, relishing the cold feeling of it. I felt something cold touching the back of my head and I knew that the rest of the ice bag was being held against my head.

"Charlie's here." Alice told him. "He wants you to show him where she is and explain to him what happened. The Denali's are worried about what's happening up here. You know, if everyone's okay."

"I'll take it Carlisle." Edward said softly. I felt the bag move slightly and Carlisle got up and went down to meet Charlie. I leaned my head against Edward's chest and looked around at the people in the room.

Jasper had returned and was now over with Rosalie and Esme. He had one arm around his twin, gently rocking her, calming her down. He had hold of Esme's hand with the other, gently rubbing his thumb up and down the back of her hand, also trying to calm his mother as well as his twin sister. Jasper was the only person who could. Rose looked shaken up. She had obviously not been expecting Tanya to lash out like she had. I could see that she had a slight purple bruise forming around the cut that Esme and Alice had cleaned up. Her face was now clean of blood, thankfully, or I think I might have passed out. Blood plus Bella equals not good. Esme looked extremely worried. She was probably freaking out about the fact that someone had managed to break into her home while she and Carlisle were here and sneak into her son's bedroom. She looked at me and a fresh wave of worry and panic passed over her features. I smiled at her to let her know that I was alright but that did absouletly nothing to appease her. I knew Esme too well to know that it would. Alice was now sat next to me, rubbing her hand up and down my arm, watching me intently. I smiled at her as well, and she offered a small smile in return although I knew that she was still worried about me.

Edward still had his tight grip around me. He wasn't holding on to me tight enough to hurt me but his grasp made me feel comfortable. Safe. I didn't want to leave his embrace ever again. I knew what I needed to do. And I had to do it today.

I would go home tonight, to talk to Charlie.

It had to be tonight.

I turned my head and kissed Edward on the jaw lightly. He smiled down at me, obviously freaked out by the events of the morning.

"Maybe we should go downstairs." I said softly and he looked at me and smiled. I stood up slowly after removing the ice bag from my head and turned around to wait for Edward to stand up after me. I took his hand and we walked downstairs, Jasper and Rosalie following us as we went.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs I saw that Charlie's police cruiser was still outside. I looked around and I saw four worried Denali's, Felix and Garrett all walking up to us.

"Oh my God, Bella." Kate gushed, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry, Bella!"

"No, Kate." I told her. "It's okay. It's not your fault."

"But she's our sister." Carmen agreed with Kate. "We can't help but feel that this is our fault!"

"Don't be stupid!" I told them. "Any of you! It's no one's fault but hers. She's the only one to blame here and I won't be accepting any apologies from any of you."

"But-"

"NO!" I said defiantly and they all stopped talking, looking at each other as if judging whether or not to carry on apologising to me. Eleazar opened his mouth but I held up a finger to shush him and he closed his mouth instantly.

Just then a shrill screaming that I knew all too well erupted into the silence. I looked around to see Charlie wrestling a handcuffed Tanya through the kitchen. Emmett had obviously put her in the basement like I thought he would. She caught sight of us, Edward with his arm around me and started screaming again. Who knew that an airhead like her knew such colourful language.

I was thankful when Charlie was able to wrestle her out of the house and into the cruiser, but I did feel a bit sorry for him having to put up with her in the back. He locked her in the car, so she couldn't escape, not that she'd get very far with the both the Cullen and the Denali families watching for her to try. Better to be safe than sorry I guess.

Charlie jogged his way up to the house and walked up to me.

"Bells, are you alright?" He sounded concerned and he wore a look of worry.

"Yeah, Dad. I'm okay." I gave him a smile and he returned it even though I could tell that it was forced.

"Right. I'm going to go and take care of her and then I'm going to come back here and find out what happened." Charlie said looking between each of the Cullens. "If that's alright."

"Actually Dad, I have a few things I need to do at home so I can talk to you at home." I told him and I felt Edward's grip on me tighten ever so slightly, though Charlie didn't seem to notice.

"Okay then Bells." Charlie sounded weary. "I'll be home at the normal time, so...I guess I'll see you then." I nodded, before realising I really shouldn't have done and he left.

"Hey you guys, we're going to head off." Irina said softly from where the Denali's were. I hadn't noticed that they were all wearing different clothes to the ones that they had come in. They had obviously been given the chance to change and shower before any of the Cullens' did. The Cullens' may be crazy and immature at times, but they were the perfect hosts.

We hugged them all goodbye, the guys giving each other handshakes and they left. I wondered whether they were going to go to the police station or whether or not they were going to abandon their sister. If I were them I would have left her there, but then again that's just me.

We all moved into the living room in silence and Edward and I curled up in the loveseat, rather than the sofa. The sofa was too big. We needed something that was a little more confined. We just wanted to be together after all that had happened this morning. We needed to be close together, and the sofa didn't offer that kind of closeness. The rest of the Cullens', minus Alice and Esme, who were busy doing whatever it was that they were doing, curled up on the sofas and armchairs, not saying anything. I knew that they were all thinking of things to say, but weren't really able to come up with anything that fit the moment. I rested my head against Edward's chest as we curled up and sighed. With Edward there, I knew that everything would be okay. Who cared about psycho bitches when I had my Edward's arms wrapped around me.

Alice and Esme came in a few minutes later and they settled down as well. Esme went straight to Carlisle and he wrapped his arms around her. Alice went and curled herself up next to Emmett, who put a reassuring arm around her shoulders. Jasper was sat with Rosalie in his lap, comforting his twin.

"How's your head feeling?" Edward whispered in my ear, loud enough so that I could hear him but not so loud as to disrupt the silence. I smiled and nodded at him to show that it was okay. I kissed his jawline softly and he pressed his lips against mine ever so gently. I deepened the kiss slightly before breaking away and leaning my head back on his chest, closing my eyes and sighing in contentment.

This peace was welcome after the disruption of the morning. I opened my eyes to find both Esme and Carlisle grinning at Edward and me. I smiled back and nuzzled my head into his chest even more. This action only caused their grins to become even wider. I knew what they were thinking and it probably went along the lines of "aww, they're so cute" but you know what, when it was Carlisle and Esme I really didn't give a damn.

Seeing as it seemed none of us wanted to move from our spots for a while, Emmett got up and put a movie on. I didn't know what movie it was, but I got the feeling that it was an action movie because I could hear explosions and screams every couple of minutes. I wasn't paying attention to the movie because I was too lost in Edward's eyes to pay attention. The deep green of his eyes was intoxicating. I could lose myself in them forever.

And it appeared that I did.

When I finally snapped back to reality, I saw that the movie was over and everyone else had cleared out of the living room, leaving Edward and I alone.

"Guess we were a bit to wrapped up in each other huh?" He chuckled and I smiled. He seemed to be okay. This mornings events didn't seem to be troubling him too much. I knew that he would talk to me when he was ready. He had opened up to me about everything before. We had no secrets. This would just be one of those things that I would have to wait out. I couldn't push him into talking.

I was content to just remain there for the rest of the day, but it seemed that our stomaches had other ideas. They both decided that they were going to make their emptiness known at the same time and we couldn't help but chuckle at the timing.

I stood up first and pulled him off of the loveseat, taking holding of his hand and leading him into the kitchen.

"What do you want?" I asked him, before letting go of his hand.

"I have no idea." He admitted chuckling. "What do you want?"

I shrugged my shoulders and began searching for things that I could make into a decent meal for the both of us as neither of us had eaten at all today. That kind of thing might be alright for me, but for Edward, skipping a meal could start the cogs in his mind going. The ones that told him that going back to how he was a year ago was the best way. I couldn't have that happening. Not after all the work he had put in.

I opened up the fridge and saw a plastic tupperware box on one of the shelves. It was labelled "lasagne". It was obviously what was left of Carlisle and Esme's dinner from the previous night. I was sure they wouldn't mind us having it now. "Aha!" I said, pulling out the box. I turned around and showed the label to Edward, as if I was displaying something on the home shopping channel. Edward grinned and chuckled at me, which I took as a good sign.

I looked at the bottom of the box and it told me that it was microwaveable, so I loosened the lid and popped it into the microwave. Tuning in the amount of time I wanted it in there for, I busied myself with getting out plates and cultery. I pulled out two glasses and noticed the bottle of Edward's antidepressants that where in the cupboad. I pulled them out and showed them to him. He nodded his head, smiling, silently telling me that he'd had it for today. I grinned and put it back. _No harm in making sure,_ I thought to myself as the microwave beeped.

I knew that Edward was watching me and for some reason it didn't bother me. It would have if it was anyone else but with him, it felt oddly reassuring to be under his gaze. He was the only one I felt one hundred per cent secure and safe with.

We both ate our meal greedily, laughing at the other one as we ate, getting the sauce everywhere. I couldn't help it. He was just so cute.

After we ate, we went back up to his room. Upon entering we saw why Esme and Alice had been late coming down to the living room with the rest of us. Edward's CD and bookcase were back in upright positions and seemingly all in order. The photo that Tanya had taken had been placed back onto Edward's bedside table and the glass had been replaced. Looking around you wouldn't be able to tell that there had been any kind of scuffle in here at all. It looked as it always did. But there was some sort of atmosphere in the room now. It wasn't just between Edward and myself now.

It had been violated.

I just hoped that the atmosphere would dissipate soon. I couldn't stand it to come into this room, a safe haven that I shared with Edward and feel awkward. This was the one place I didn't feel awkward. And I wanted it to stay that way.

We lay in his bed for a while, before I looked at the clock and realised that I had an hour before Charlie would be home. I needed to get home so that I could make him dinner. Small thanks for what he did today, but I knew it would be appreciated at least. I hadn't spent that much time with Charlie lately, and I was starting to feel bad about it. I needed to spend time with him.

"I gotta go love." I told him, and he sat up.

"I'll take you home then." He said smiling. He always felt better knowing that I had gotten home. I could tell that it wasn't because he didn't trust his family, but I think it was security thing with him. The knowledge that I was okay, just made him feel better. I knew this because I felt the same way about him.

We got up and we went downstairs. I didn't bother to pack up anything that was in the bathroom, as I had all I needed at home. I had bought extras and brought them here because it was evident I was spending a lot of time here. I realised that I needed toiletries in both places. I really did have two homes.

The drive back home was quiet again, but it was a comfortable, easy silence. I held his hand again but unlike this morning, he squeezed it back. Everything was going to be okay. It had to be. Nothing could stop us. Nothing could break us apart. I had to hold on to that belief and everything would be okay.

We pulled up outside my house and found that Charlie wasn't home yet. I turned to face Edward and he smiled at me. "You wanna come in?" I asked and he nodded, smiling.

We got out of the car and I let us in, using the key that was always hidden under the eaves. We walked in and took off our shoes and jackets, hanging them up. I had barely hung my jacket up when I felt a pair of strong arms encasing my waist. I leaned my head back on his chest as he kissed the top of my head. I sighed in contentment as I turned around and pressed my lips to his jaw. He moaned gently, pressing his lips to mine in a loving and tender kiss. I reached behind me and took his hands in mine as I walked into the kitchen and sat him down on a chair.

For some reason, he found watching me very interesting indeed. He sat there and watched as I wrapped two potatoes in foil, popping them into the oven to bake and set two steaks to marinade. I placed them into the fridge and went and sat down next to Edward. My only problem was he wasn't having any of that. He pulled me onto his knee and buried his head in my hair, inhaling deeply.

"You okay, love?" I asked him softly, running my hand through his hair.

He lifted his head up and smiled at me. "Perfect." He whispered and I pressed my lips to his. He sighed against my lips and I felt my own forming into a smile.

I heard Charlie's cruiser pull up and I pulled away from Edward. I knew he liked Edward, but I still don't think he would be too impressed about finding the two of us making out in his kitchen. I stood up and moved to heat the steaks so they would be ready soon just as Charlie was walking through the door.

"Hey Bells." He called as he hung up his jacket and, thankfully, his gun.

"Hey Dad." I called back, turning around to face him.

He walked into the kitchen, saw Edward and smiled at him. "Heya Edward."

"Good evening Charlie." I couldn't help but smile. Edward was ever the gentleman. Always polite, no matter what the occassion, however formal, my Edward was always perfect and polite. He stood up and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I should go."

I nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

"So, what did you do for the rest of the day?" Charlie asked, sitting himself down in the chair that sat across from the one Edward had just been in.

"Nothing really, did we?" I replied, facing my Dad and turning my head to look at Edward.

He shook his head. "Perfect lazy day." He agreed, smiling at me. He kissed me on the cheek. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." I nodded, kissing his jaw. "Goodnight Charlie."

"Goodnight Edward." Charlie called as Edward let himself out. I felt Charlie's gaze on me as I finished making dinner. Unlike Edward's gaze it didn't make me feel as safe as it should have done. As I served him his dinner I found him grinning at me.

"What?!" I asked earnestly, and he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Nothing." He ate a mouthful of steak, mumbling his thanks and compliments. He swallowed and looked at me. "You two really are in love aren't you?" I nodded and he smiled. "You know, I didn't really think that the kind of love I see from you two existed outside of the movies." Was Charlie actually expressing his feelings? We never really did that. With each other that is. "I'm really happy for you Bells."

"Actually, Dad," I put down my fork and looked at him. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot," He mumbled, taking a gulp of his beer.

"Well," I looked down at the table. "You know Edward and I are engaged." He nodded, his smile faltering ever so slightly. He wasn't happy that Edward and I were choosing to marry so young, but, even though he would never say it, he felt Edward and I were meant to be together. I knew he did. Then why was I so nervous in asking what I wanted to. "Well, I've decided that I want to marry him .... before .... I have to move back to Phoenix."

"Bells-"

"I know what you're going to say." I cut him off. "You're going to tell me that I'm too young, and that I should think about it before making any rash decisions, but I can tell you, it doesn't matter how young or old we are, Edward and I are always going to be together. And I can also say, I have done nothing but think about this. It's all I've been able to think about recently. Well.....other than the psycho this morning, anyway. That's how I feel. Please. I just need your permission."

"Bells." He put down his cutlery and reached across the table, taking my hand in his own. "Yeah, you're right. I do think that you're too young, but I've also seen how you and Edward are together. I know that the two of you are made for each other and that's something that is never going to change. Even though I don't want to let you go, I realise that I have no choice. You'll always be my baby, Bells. My little girl. And if I have to give you up sooner than I'd hoped, I wouldn't choose any guy but Edward."

"So," I said slowly. "Does that mean I have your permission to marry Edward before I have to move?"

"Yes." He nodded. "You can marry Edward before you have to move."

And I did something that I never thought I would ever do.

I squealed like Alice and jumped into my father's lap, hugging him tight.

If Edward agreed, I could be moving to Phoenix not as Bella Swan, but Bella Cullen.

Bella Cullen.

Nice ring to it, don't you think?

**Lots of drama. Lots of fluff.  
Isn't that what makes a chapter complete :D  
Please Review  
xx**


	34. You've Got Two Weeks

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**I'm aware that if a child gets married before they become a legal adult (with the parents permission of course) they become officially emanicpated, but for the sake of the story, and the drama that I have planned :P (not divulging so don't ask) that is not going to be the case in "Alive Again". It will not affect Bella's situation within the story, she will still have to fight with Renee over whether or not she goes to Phoenix. Just thought I'd tell you guys that. Now on with the story.**

**EPOV**

The past few days had been .... eventful .... to say the least.

What with Tanya resurfacing, making her presence known at the party at La Push, and in my house, in my ..... bedroom.

I didn't want to think of how long she had been in here, or what she had been doing in here.

I rolled over and stretched out my arms and shoulders. I looked around the room and felt that there was something out of place. It didn't feel comfortable to be in my own room after yesterday. It wasn't my place anymore. It wasn't mine and Bella's anymore.

It had been violated.

I needed to figure out a way to get that feeling of comfort back.

I loved this room. I didn't want to have to move out of my own room because it felt like there was something or someone else in there. I knew there wasn't. Esme and Alice had told me yesterday that after they had restored my CDs and books they had done a sweep of my room, making sure that there was no one else hiding in there anywhere, or if there were any gadgets at all. Mini cameras, microphones, anything like that. I had questioned that, and they had told me that it seemed Tanya was deranged and they didn't want to put anything past her. Thankfully their little search had come up empty. They stayed out of the drawers and closed cabinets in my room, respecting my privacy, but checked the outside to see if there were any holes or openings that could be used to spy. Yes, they went through my closet, but I wasn't really bothered about that. Alice had bought most of my clothes in there anyway. I really had no idea what I owned and what I didn't. That kind of thing goes hand in hand when you have a shopaholic sister though, I guess.

Thankfully, they found nothing on their search.

That didn't help my uneasiness though. Maybe it was just the knowledge that someone, especially someone like Tanya had been in my room. My Bella I didn't care about being in my room. She practically lived there anyway. My family I was okay with, to some extent. They knew to stay out of my personal belongings and my bathroom. Common courtesy really. But other that I didn't really have a problem with them being in my room. But complete strangers? Especially someone like Tanya. Okay, she may not be a complete stranger, but still, she wasn't a friend and I really didn't want that to ever happen.

The only people I didn't know that had been in my room were the movers, when we moved in almost a year ago. Other than that it was just myself, Bella or my family.

_Not anymore_. I figured. _Who knows what she's touched. What she went through. You certainly don't. You don't have any clue how long she was in here before Bella found her. All you know is that she was there before you fell asleep last night, and she was here when you got back. But when did she get here?_

I shook my head, trying to rid my mind of those thoughts. It didn't help that Bella had spent the night at home last night. After everything that happened yesterday, Charlie's help and everything, she thought that it would be the best idea to stay at home. At least for a night.

In all honesty Bella had been spending more time here than she had at her own home. She practically lived here. She knew the house and where everything was. She had her own key and was free to come and go as she pleased.

Yeah, it was pretty safe to say that she really did live here.

More than her own home that is, anyway.

I kind of felt bad about that. I knew that Bella hadn't been living with Charlie for very long before we moved to Forks. A year. Maybe a little longer. After God knows how long living with her mother, it didn't feel right for her to be spending so much time here. I was constantly telling her that she needed to spend more time with her father, but she always countered with the "he's working" or "he's in La Push", as he frequently was. Even though their children were at odds, over me, which I hated, I might add, Charlie and Billy hadn't let it affect their friendship. He still went down for fishing trips. Whether or not they were as frequent as Bella let on, I didn't know, but I didn't want question her. She might think that I didn't want her around. And that was definitely something that I didn't want her thinking. I did make her spend at least two nights a week at home. Something she didn't really like. She said that it was hard to sleep without me there.

I knew how she felt.

I hadn't slept very well last night. I never really did when Bella was at home. But the added stress of the discovery of Tanya in my room the previous morning had still freaked me out. But not as much as it should have. That led me to question the medication that I was on. It seemed that it wasn't just minimizing the depression that I felt, that could break through at any moment, but it seemed to be dulling my other emotions and senses as well.

I knew that I should be majorly freaking out at Carlisle and Esme about it. Not blaming them obviously. How could they know that there was a psycho in the house? But, you know, venting. I knew that that would be the normal behaviour. To let it out. But for some reason I didn't want to. I felt the need to, but, I don't know. Something was ..... off.

I sat up in bed and stretched out my arms again, feeling my muscles moving and flexing underneath my t-shirt. I needed to go to the gym soon. I would have to bring that up with Emmett. Maybe work out a routine for the gym while he was still here over the summer.

I hated that he was leaving for college. Even though I still had Jasper here, it wasn't the same as having my big brother. His presence around the house would be missed, and not because he took up so much space, but because he, like Alice, was such a bundle of energy. He just came in a larger package so to speak.

There was a slight knock on my door. I called for them to come in and Emmett stuck his head around the door. _Ah,_ I thought grinning to myself. _Speak of the Devil and he shall appear._

"You alright, Eddie-boy?" He asked, coming into my room and closing the door behind him, grinning as he made his way towards me.

"I will be once you stop calling me that." I shot back. He was winding me up. And it was working. He knew how much I hated that name. But he was just being big brother, doing it to purposefully get a rise out of me. Not in a bad way. Just because "that was his job" as he put it. I didn't understand that, but oh well, I knew he wasn't going to change. "When are you going to learn that I hate that name?" I asked him.

He jumped, I mean, literally jumped on my bed and sat indian style, facing me. He sat there and pretended to think for a moment. "Umm......never." He concluded with a grin on his face. I shook my head and laughed at him and he sat there on the end of my bed, grinning at me.

"So what do I owe the displeasure of this visit?" I asked him, smirking at him.

He feigned hurt, placing a hand over his heart. "That hurt, Edward. That really did. Can a guy not come and sit and chat with his little brother when he feels like it?"

"Sure, a _regular_ guy could, but you on the other hand," I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not so much."

He looked at me, frowning, seeming unsure of how to take that statement. Until I sat there and grinned at him. He grinned at me evilly, before launching himself at me from the other end of the bed. I managed to dodge him and he collapsed on my pillows, laughing.

"You know, if I had the energy, or the willpower I would continue that, but seeing as I really can't be bothered at the moment, I'm just gonna store that away and save it for another day." He whined into my pillow as if it was a major disaster for me that I wasn't being attacked by him at this very moment in time.

"Well, thank you so much, oh merciful Emmett!" I said sarcastically and he chuckled at me. "So ....." I grabbed the pillow out from under him and smacked him around the back of the head with it. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to see how you are." He said, a bit more serious as he sat up and placed the pillow behind him again, leaning back. I turned so that I was sat indian style, facing him. "You know ..... after yesterday and everything."

"I'm alright." I told him truthfully. On some level I was, but I told myself that on some level I _really should_ be freaking out about this.

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows at me and I nodded, smiling. "Cause most people would be freaking out that there was someone in their room. Especially someone like Tanya. You know, you sure can pick 'em Eddie." I whacked him with another pillow before hugging it horizontally to my chest, crossing my arms over the edge. I rested my head on my crossed arms and Emmett chuckled at me. "I'm just saying." I scowled at him. "But seriously, how are you feeling?"

"I really am okay." I told him again. "I mean, I know I _should_ be freaking out, but I don't know ..... it's like whenever I do think that, something else causes me push it from my mind, even thought I know I really shouldn't."

"What do you mean?" His brow was furrowed in confusion.

"I don't know." I ran my hand through my hair before settling it back onto the pillow. "It's hard to explain. It's like, I know that I should be, like, ranting and venting to somebody, _anybody_ or at least be freaked out by the fact that .... _she_ ..... was in my room, touching who knows what-"

"Fondling who knows what." Emmett chipped in, his expression grave.

"Thank you for that." I said and he mock saluted, his expression not matching his action. He was trying to work out what I meant. I could tell that he was. "But it's like .... everytime that .... you know, that freaked feeling that you get?" He nodded. "Everytime I even start to feel like that, it's like there's something else that pushes it away, you know? Like something's blocking it from coming to the surface. I don't know, it's hard to explain."

"Kind of like, say that all your emotions put together are a like a swimming pool, and you yourself are that one I-know-I-should-be-freaked-out-feeling, constantly trying to get to the surface to breathe, but never quite making it." That actually sounded like a good analogy. Surprising, especially coming from Emmett. _Note to self,_ I thought, _give Emmett more credit in future._ "Like the weight of everything else keeps pushing you back down into the water that represents your emotions? Am I on the right track here?"

"Yeah," I nodded, not really believing that something that close to how I was feeling could come out of Emmett's mouth. He really was smarter than people, even I, gave him credit for. "That's exactly what it feels like. It's weird."

"What do you thinks causing it?" He asked, looking at me. He looked slightly worried now. I was sure he was wondering if I was some sort of major freak. I was, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"Honestly?" He nodded. "I think it's the medication." I took a deep breath. "I don't know. It's just since I started taking it, I don't really know how I feel. It's starting to worry me actually."

"How so?"

"Well," I sighed softly. "What if .... what if it's not really my feelings that I'm experiencing, but just effects of the medication? I can't help but think that."

"You know you can't stop taking them, though, right?" He asked me, sounding worried.

"Yeah I know." I looked and smiled at him. "Don't Emmett, I'm not going taking them. But I think I need to talk to Carlisle about it though. Maybe he'll be able to help me understand why I feel this way."

"Maybe." He agreed, seeming lost in thought. He snapped out of it quickly thought. "Hey, lets go grab some breakfast, yeah." I grinned nodding, knowing that serious Emmett wouldn't last very long. Daft Emmett was back and that was reassuring. Serious Emmett could get unnerving after a little while. He jumped off the bed and I followed him across my bedroom. He stopped at my door and turned around, his face sad. Uh-oh, Serious Emmett was back. "I'm gonna miss you when I go, you know that, right?"

"Of course I do," I told him. "I'm gonna miss you too Em. It's not going to be the same without my big brother here."

He grinned and slapped my shoulder playfully. I flinched slightly at the contact and he shot me an apologetic look. I told him that it was alright and we went down to breakfast.

We walked into the kitchen and saw that Esme was already up. She turned around and smiled at the two of us, placing some plates in the middle of the breakfast bar.

"PANCAKES!" Emmett cried, causing me to almost jump out of my skin. Esme laughed at his enthusiasm and I noticed that one of them was piled significantly higher than the other one. The larger selection I knew was for Emmett. "I love you Mommy!" Emmett said, practically skipping over to his seat and placing a kiss on Esme's cheek. She grinned at her son's response to her breakfast and watched him devour the pancakes.

I sat down at the breakfast bar, shaking my head at Emmett, laughing. Watching him eat was like watching a pride of lions devouring a carcass. So it wasn't really something that I did very often. I looked down at the pancakes and slowly started to eat, making sure to avoid looking at Emmett. Pancakes weren't something that I was fully used to yet. I knew that I had to get used to other types of food, and pancakes, especially Esme's or Bella's tasted amazing, but it was just something about them that didn't sit right with me.

I looked up to see that Emmett had finished his pancakes already and was eyeing my plate. I wrapped an arm around my plate and scowled at him. He frowned at me, obviously not happy that I had shielded my breakfast from his gargantuous appetite. I heard Esme laughing at our little exchange and I looked at her and smiled. I turned back to Emmett and stuck my tongue out at him, childishly and wasn't surprised to see that he imitated me. Esme continued to laugh at us and I could feel myself grinning, but again the emotions that I was feeling seemed tainted for some reason. I didn't like it. I wanted to be able to sit down and have a laugh with my brother and not feel conflicted for whatever reason.

This was going to drive me up the wall.

I heard the front door open and smiled as Bella walked into view. "Morning!" She called as she took her shoes off and hung up her jacket.

"Morning!" We all called back to her.

Emmett took advantage of the momentary distraction and speared a pancake that was on my plate with his fork, shoving it into his mouth before I could even attempt to grab it back.

"Hey!" I cried, staring at him indignantly, not believing that he had just done what he had.

"Emmett!" Esme scolded him, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

"Sorry, Mom, Ed, it's just that they're so good!" He grinned as he said this.

"That doesn't mean you steal them off my plate, Emmett!" I said pulling my plate out of his reach so that he couldn't make any more surprise attacks while I finished my breakfast.

"That's right Emmett," Bella agreed walking up behind me. "If you still want some more pancakes after you've finished, you politely ask your mother if she could possibly make you some more, whilst pointing out that she is the loveliest woman on the face of the earth and that her pancakes are the most amazing pancakes that you have ever ever tasted." She spoke in an all-knowing, smug tone that made me smile. "Not stealing them off of your little brothers plate." I stuck my tongue out at him again and he responded in the same manner. "Grow up you two."

"Never!" I cried, looking at her, proud to be behaving like a child.

"Nope!" Emmett agreed in a childish voice and I couldn't help but grin.

"Children." Esme muttered just loud enough for us to hear, shaking her head, but smiling at the same time. Emmett and I sat there looking at her nodding enthusiastically, grinning.

Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head, scoffing slightly, muttering something under breath that sounded like "marrying a child". I didn't care. She smiled at me and leaned down to kiss me, gently, brushing her lips across mine. She stood behind me as I resumed eating, keeping an eye on Emmett this time.

"I have something to tell you when you've finished." She whispered in my ear. I looked at her confused, and she smiled, making a motion saying that her lips were sealed until I had finished.

Emmett was still eyeing my pancakes so I knew that I had to watch him as I ate. Esme had resumed her cooking, making more for the others for when they woke up. The beauty of Esme's pancakes is they could be eaten either hot or cold and yet they would still taste amazing. Whether or not the others would get to eat them is another question entirely. She asked Bella if she wanted anything, but Bella had already eaten breakfast at her own house, just as I knew she would have. She poured herself and Esme a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter next to Esme. They were chatting quietly while Emmett bounced up and down in his seat, knowing what Esme was making. I sat there and laughed at him as I finished my own pancakes.

I took the plate over to the dishwasher and loaded it up. Esme and Bella both knew that I wouldn't want any more, so they didn't question it. Unlike Emmett, I wasn't a bottomless pit and the thought that he could put away as much food as he could, even with his size, was disturbing. I walked over to the cabinet and took out my medication and a glass. I sighed softly. Was it really these little pills that were making me feel so conflicted? I would have to ask Carlisle when I had the chance. He wouldn't take me off them, but maybe he would recommend another brand to the clinic, seeing as it was them who prescribed my medication for me.

After taking my medication I waited while Bella and Esme finished their conversation and coffee and Bella walked upstairs, passing a groggy Alice and Rosalie on the way up. They both mumbled a good morning and something about pancake smell. I knew that they had smelt the breakfast Esme had made and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Stop making fun of your sisters." Bella scolded as we walked up the stairs.

"Why?" I asked grinning at her. "That's what they're there for."

"Touche." She said raising her eyebrows at me.

We walked into my bedroom and I closed the door, pulling her close to me. I pressed my lips to hers gently and she moaned slightly, causing me to smile.

"So," I started, pulling her towards my bed on which we both collapsed. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

She turned on her side, moving the duvet cover out of her face so she could see me clearly. She smiled softly. "Marry me." She whispered, so softly, I hardly heard it.

"Um," I was confused. "That's my line. And I used about a month ago, remember?"

She giggled. "Yes, I know." She grinned at me. "I mean before I have to leave. I don't want to have to wait til I come back from Arizona. Waiting all that time will kill me Edward. I want to be yours. I need to be yours. And I need you to be mine _before_ I go. I know it sounds stupid and selfish, but .... it's what I want. More than anything."

I rolled onto my side and pressed a firm but gentle kiss to her lips. Her mouth opened slightly and I took advantage of the invitation, easing my tongue into her mouth, caressing her tongue with my own.

I broke the kiss and she pouted at me. "Absolutely." I whispered.

"Really?" She looked more excited than Emmett had a little while ago about the pancakes.

"Yes." I confirmed. "I want this more than anything. Mrs. Isabella Marie Cullen. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" She scowled slightly at the use of the name Isabella, but when I placed the Cullen on the end, her entire face lit up. There was something bothering me thought. "But you're seventeen. We can't until you turn-"

"We can with a parents permission." She giggled, placing a finger over my lips.

I felt my eyes go wide. She would never have mentioned this if she hadn't already gotten permission. "You mean Charlie....?"

"Yes," She nodded. "He told me that he wasn't happy that we're getting married so young, but he also knows that there's nothing he can do about it. He knows that we love each other and, he told me that he could see we're meant for each other. He's given us permission to marry before I leave." She grinned and I crashed my lips to hers, rolling her on her back, placing my arms either side of her, supporting my weight. I wanted nothing more than to have every part of her right then and there, but I knew that Alice and Rose would be waking up properly soon, realise that she was here and probably barge in trying to adbuct her.

As if on cue, there was a banging at my door. "Edward, we know you've got Bella in there! Send her out and we won't have to invade!" Alice's voice called menacingly through the door.

"How soon do you think Charlie can get the marriage certificate sorted?" I asked her quietly.

"He said, the quickest would be a week. Two at the most." She smiled at me and I grinned back, pressing my lips to hers. **(A/N: I don't know if this is actually possible, but for the sake of the story, let's pretend that it is.)**

"So ..... we could be married in a week?" I asked and she nodded, her grin widening and her eyes glittering.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" Alice cried, banging on the door again. "Send her out here or so help us, we're coming in!"

Bella looked at me pleadingly, and I knew that she didn't want to go. I kissed the end of her nose. "Stay here. I'll get rid of them." I got up and walked across the room, opening the door a crack. I saw Alice and Rose standing there, both hands on hips. The only difference was that Alice was standing there tapping her foot, a motion she knew annoyed me. I ignored it, too happy at what Bella and I had decided a moment ago to be annoyed. "What can I do for you?" I said calmly.

"Don't play with us, boy!" Rose said, impatiently. "Send your fiancee out here now and we won't have to use force."

"Yeah, about that?" I leaned against the doorway, not opening the door any wider. "I've decided I'm not going to give her up today. She's mine for the day."

"But you get her for the rest of your life Edward." Alice pointed out.

"Good point." I agreed and her eyebrows raised, expecting me to send Bella out. "But I think the two of you are going to be a bit busy." They both looked at me skeptically, challenging me to find something that was more interesting than playing Barbie with Bella, something I knew she detested. "Well, you are going to be a bit run off your feet, organising Bella and my wedding,"

"We've got ages before that Edward." Rosalie scoffed, not appeased.

"Actually," I mused, pretending I was thinking. "After talking this morning, you've got two weeks. Max. Bye." With that I closed and locked the door, leaving my two sisters stunned behind it. I ran to my closet and quickly dressed, hearing Alice and Rosalie screaming and squealing, along with Bella laughing. After pulling on a t-shirt, some jeans and the sneakers that I hadn't gotten round to putting back downstairs, I pulled out a pair of black flats for Bella, from one of the many compartments Alice had installed for her in her section of the closet. Why she kept Bella's shoes up here when she wasn't able to wear them in the house I had no idea. "Put these on." I told her placing them at her feet. She looked at me questioningly. "Come on, you really think that door's going to hold those two off for long?" I gestured towards the door that was now being pummelled by Alice and Rose. They were shrieking and squealing on the other side, probably wanting to know what had happened for us to decide to move up the wedding, but all I could make out were squeals and the occassional "Oh my God!"

Bella seemed to agree with me and slipped her feet into the shoes that I had given her. "What are we going to do?"

"Use and escape plan we've talked about but never used." I opened one of the glass doors that led out onto the slight balcony that branched off my room. I looked over the side and smiled, seeing the lattice that Esme had made Carlisle put up so that she could have some climbing plants going up the side of the house. Why she put it on the side that was made of glass I had no idea, but I was eternally grateful for her for doing so, seeing as it was the perfect escape for Bella and myself. I looked over at the door and heard that Alice and Rose were still on the other side. It seemed that the rest of the family had joined them now, seeing as I could hear Emmett and Jasper trying to calm the girls down and find out what was going on. I extended my hand to Bella who walked through the door, grinning and closing it behind her. They wouldn't know how we got out seeing as we had never used this escape before. "Come on, I think Esme's up here now. And she has a key."

That got her moving. She carefully swung her leg over the side of the balcony and I ease her down onto the lattice. I didn't like the fact that we were climbing two storeys down the side of the house, but being honest, it was better than the alternative. Making sure that she was secure on the lattice I followed suit, lowering myself onto it from the balcony.

We moved quickly, climbing down at a steady speed. We dropped onto the floor and grinned at each other. We didn't know if they had managed to get into my room yet, or whether or not I would need a new door, and at the moment, I didn't really care. I just grinned at Bella, grabbed her hand and we ran around to the woods at the back of the house. We would be safe there for a few hours at least.

As we broke through into the trees we heard Alice shouting my name. They had obviously convinced Esme to let them in, seeing as Carlisle was at work.

"EDWARD!" She cried. "GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE NOW!!! YOU CAN BRING YOUR FIANCEE WITH YOU, WHEREVER YOU ARE!"

I couldn't help but laugh as we ran. We knew that we weren't deep enough in the woods yet, so just laughed as we ran. Bella tripped a couple of times, but I was holding her hand so I was always able to stop her from falling.

When we felt that we were far enough into the woods, we stopped and collapsed on the ground. The ground was dry so we didn't have to worry about getting too dirty, it would just brush off. We looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh at the situation. We sat there, laughing for I don't know how long. All I knew was by the time I had it under control, I had tears in my eyes and I could vaguely see that Bella had the same predicament.

"I think we're in trouble, love." She said, pressing her lips to mine in a passionate kiss.

"So do I." I mumbled against her lips. "So do I."

And I really didn't care. I was sat here, in the woods, with my Bella. Nobody to disturb us. No one to questions us.

I would face the wrath of my sisters later.

It was all worth it.

**There's a bit of a playful chapter for you. I thought that after all the drama of the last couple of chapters a carefree, easy chapter was in order.  
Don't worry all you angst lovers. There's plenty more coming soon, but I think the next couple of chapters will be fluff filled.  
Please Review  
xx**


	35. The Meadow

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**I'm sorry it's taken me a while to update Alive Again. Some of you have accused me of forgetting about it and I promise you I will never be forgetting about Alive Again. It's my second baby – Saving Edward being my firstborn obviously ;P – so it will be continuing. I could never abandon it. I would have had this chapter up earlier but it's gotten to the stroppy teenager stage and no matter how much I rewrote it, this chapter just wasn't right. It may have been alright in earlier chapters but I wanted this one to be perfect. You'll see why ;P**

**Also, I'm dedicating this chapter of Alive Again to a very deidcated reader: MORBIDMUCH as it is her 18****th**** birthday today (or yesterday depending on the time I actually become happy with this chapter). HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL!!!!! Have a good one ;D**

**EPOV**

Walking through the woods with Bella was probably one of the best things I've done in a while.

We walked along, laughing and joking about our escape from the house. Bella laughed so loud when I told her about Alice and Rosalie's expressions to their ultimatum that I swear birds flew out of their nests. We had to stop mid-step so that she could catch her breath. And that took a good five minutes or so. She may fear my sisters somewhat, and lets be honest who wouldn't, but she still loved to hear about their embarrassing moments like the rest of us

We walked in silence for a while, just content with being with each other, no comunications needed. We walked hand in hand, gently swinging our arms back and forth between us. I imagined that we looked how a couple would in a movie. That thought made me smile slightly.

But what made me grin was the fact that Bella and I were going to be married in two weeks time. I had no doubt that my sisters would make it perfect. This was there kind of thing. Hell, if Alice could pull off a full blown party in less than four hours it wouldn't take her and Rose two weeks to organise a wedding. I would put money on the fact that the two of them had given up on looking for us and were now sitting down picking out flower arrangements.

I know it should be the bride and groom making those kinds of decisions but, hell, neither Bella nor I were suicidal – well I wasn't anymore.

I looked around at our surroundings, trying to see if I recognised where we were. No such luck. I had absolutely no idea where we were. I had been walking in the woods pretty much everyday since I got out of the hospital, but I don't think I had ever been in this direction before. Being honest, I didn't really pay any attention to where I was running when I grabbed Bella's hand after I jumped off the lattice. All I remembered was that we had to get out of there now or we would be accosted by a hyperactive pixie and a pissed-off blonde.

And that was more appealing than paying attention to something as small as directions.

At the time anyway.

I was sure that we would find our way back at some point. At the moment, I was just content as I was. I turned my head to look at Bella to see her watching me. She smiled and looked down, blushing. God, how I loved that blush. It was part of what made her my Bella. A blush on anyone else, it didn't sit right, it was foreign, but with Bella, it was just ……… her.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" She asked after a moment, looking around.

"Not a clue." I said, looking down at her, grinning.

She looked up at me, and rolled her eyes. Even though she knew that I was being completely serious, she couldn't help but smile. "Great." She mumbled sarcastically. "I'm stuck in the woods, not a clue where I am, with a crazy person." She looked at me with a sneaky look on her face.

I stopped mid-stride and clutched at my chest, while giving a dramatic gasp in mock hurt. "Now, now that hurts, Bella. That………that……" I closed my eyes, shaking my head, keeping up the act. "You cut me. You cut me deep."

"Oh, laugh it up." She giggled. "You know it's true."

I shrugged. "Meh." She started walking again and I let her get a few paces ahead before I ran up behind her, grabbed her behind the waist and spun her around. She began to squeal and giggle. It was a beautiful sound and I couldn't wait to hear it for the rest of my life. "That may be true, love, but remember: you're this crazy person's fiancee."

"I know." She agreed as I placed her on her feet. She turned around and looked at me, love and adoration filling her eyes. "And I wouldn't have you any other way."

I grinned and rubbed the end of my nose against hers. "I know the feeling." I kissed the end of her nose and she giggled.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and gently pulled my head down to meet hers, pressing her lips to mine in a tender kiss. I felt her tongue, flicking against my bottom lip, begging for entrance and I complied. I parted my lips and immediately felt her tongue inside my mouth. I relished the taste of her. She tasted like nothing I had ever had before. And I knew that I would never taste anything so amazing ever again.

And I never had to give her up.

She was going to be mine. Forever.

She broke the kiss after a while. On the one hand I was glad because my lungs were burning, begging for oxygen, but on the other hand, as always, I immediately missed the contact of her lips on mine. I pressed my lips to her forehead and she sighed.

"I love you." She whispered, sounding content.

"As I love you." I whispered in return. "I can't wait to make you mine."

"My sentiments exactly." She looked up at me and smiled. "Two weeks." She said that and grinned. I knew that my face shared the goofy grin that was lurking on her features. "Do you think that Alice and Rose can do it?"

"If you're doubting their skills, then you obviously don't know my sisters as well as you thought." I laughed and she nodded her head agreeing with me. "It'll be fine. I think that all you have to worry about it whether or not Alice will punish you for our little stunt this morning by forcing you into a pair of six inch Jimmy whatevers that she loves so much."

"Jimmy Choos." Bella corrected me, giggling, a hand over her mouth, trying to conceal her smile.

"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow, indicating that I had no idea what she was talking about.

"The shoes." She pointed out. "They're called Jimmy Choos."

"Oh," I shrugged. "Whatever. She'll probably force you into a pair for what we did this morning."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I know." She looked back up at me. "I'm dreading it. I think that what I'm going to do is, I'm going to wear the shoes until Alice walks down the aisle and then, I'm going to quickly take them off and walk down the aisle barefoot." She looked at me and grinned. The best thing was, I knew that she was completely serious. I knew that if Alice thought she could force her into those shoes, she would have another thing coming. My Bella wasn't nearly the push-over that Alice thought she was. "Do you have any idea where they'll want to hold it? I don't really want to get married in the old church." I gave her an incredulous look.

"Not religious?" I asked her. I wasn't religious, so it didn't really matter to me if we got married in a church or not. But if it pleased Bella, I would go along with it.

I was actually quite surprised to hear her say that she didn't want to get married in a church. I'd always thought that it was every little girl's dream to get married in a church. But then again, my Bella wasn't like other little girls.

"No, that's not it." She grinned at me, blushing slightly. "I mean, I'm not religious but that's not the reason I don't want to get married there."

"Then what's the reason?" I was confused now. Sometimes, I didn't have a clue what this girl was on about. It only made me love her more.

"Well," She smiled sheepishly up at me. "I always feel like it's going to fall down on top of me. And I don't want to be feeling that panic on my wedding day."

I laughed at her reasoning. I had never been inside of the one and only church in Forks. All I knew what that it was old and was in need of a few repairs. Esme went to a book club there every other week, even though she wasn't religious. She never claimed to be to get in, she just wanted to make some new friends, although I do swear that they're trying to convert the family. I remember Esme introducing them to us, and one of the women looked at Alice, in all her hyperness, and thought that she was possessed. After knowing my sister for as long as I had, I was inclined to agree with her.

"A valid reason." I said, still chuckling. "Do Alice and Rose know this?"

"I don't know." Her smile disappeared. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she _was not_ getting married in that church, and if Bella didn't want to do it, then neither did I.

Call me whipped.

I don't care.

I looked around again, trying to get some grasp of where we could be when something glimmering caught my eye. It was the sun. It was breaking through the trees into some sort of clearing. I knew that we weren't near the house, as I knew the area around the house well, and I didn't recognise this place.

I felt my brow furrowing as I moved around Bella, letting go of her hand to go and investigate where the sun was breaking through. Knowing my luck, it was someone's backyard.

Even though that was a distinct possibility it didn't stop me from going to check it out. Not that it mattered if it was someone's backyard. If there was someone there, I would just tell them the truth. The part where Bella and I were walking in the woods and stumbled across it, not the part where we climbed off of my balcony and down the side of the house to escape my crazed family, although that would be a good ice-breaker.

"Edward?" I heard Bella call as I started to make my way across it. I could feel that she wasn't following me, and I almost turned around to offer her my hand so she would, but the curious boy in me didn't want to. He wanted me to carry on and find out what was beyond those trees.

And me being me, listened to the little boy inside of me, that told me to go on alone because it would be so much cooler on my own, instead of the eighteen year old, who told me to wait for my fiancee, because it would be more intelligent seeing as I didn't know what was there.

As I walked towards it, the light became brighter and I noticed that the trees were thinning with every metre I walked.

I still didn't look back at Bella, and I could tell that she was getting worried about me now. I could hear her calling my name, asking me where I was going but I didn't stop or turn around. I didn't even motion for her to follow me. I was too intruiged.

And as I broke through the trees I was so glad that I kept walking. As I walked through the last few trees I felt my breath catch as I looked around. It was perfect.

I was standing on the edge of a meadow.

Not just any meadow. It was the most beautiful meadow I had ever seen.

Almost a perfect circle in shape, the sunlight shining down made the grass look incredibly inviting and soft. It had various different species of wild flowers sprouting up in random clumps, adding splashes of colours into the green. The way the grass rippled as the wind blew gently across the opening reminded me of the ripples on the surface of a pond. It was something you would picture on a nature calender or in a movie, and not in real life. It was untouched by man. Completely natural. There was no one else here. And in that instant I knew.

This was where I wanted to make Bella my wife.

It was perfect.

I turned around and saw that Bella was still in the same spot, where I let go of her hand. "Bella, love, come here." I called her and she looked apprehensive. "You need to see this." I held out my hand and she smiled sheepishly at me.

She began to walk towards me and I just stood there watching her. I watched her as she maneouvered her way around the roots and plants that sprouted up over the forest floor, a look of sheer conentration on her face. It was adorable the way her eyes were focused on the ground, never looking up at me, for fear that she would fall. It made me smile. For all her worrying and concentration, she never once faltered in her step, something that even I was astonished at.

I met her a few feet from the edge of the trees, blocking her view so that she couldn't see the meadow and she stopped.

"Edward, what?" She looked at me confused. "I thought you wanted me to see something."

"I do." I grinned at her. "But first, close your eyes." She looked at me nervously and I pouted, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist. She huffed and closed her eyes. I waved my hand in front of her face making sure that her eyes were closed and took one of her hands in mine.

"Edward, what are you doing?" She sounded worried, as I began to lead her towards the meadow.

"Do you trust me love?" I asked her, knowing what her answer would be before I even asked it.

"With my life." She replied, a small smile on her face.

"Then just let me guide you." I whispered. "I won't let you fall." And I wouldn't.

I lead her around the roots that would have tripped her up and I pulled her a few feet into the meadow. I let go of her hand and walked to stand behind her.

"Okay," I said softly. "Open your eyes."

She opened her eyes slowly and I heard her gasp as she gazed around the meadow. She was just as entranced by it as I had been a few minutes ago. She turned back around to me, a look of amazement on her face. She smiled widely at me before launching herself into my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs fastened themselves around my waist.

She crashed her lips down onto mine and I deepened her already intense kiss. She pulled away from me and giggled like a little girl, her enormous brown eyes glittering wildly.

I placed her back on her feet, reluctantly, I might add and led us over into the centre of the meadow, where we could get a look at the whole thing. It was even bigger than I thought it was. It was beautiful.

I sat down in the grass and Bella quickly followed suit, sitting close next to me, smiling.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine tenderly. I snaked my hand around the back of her neck and pressed her to me, even closer. My other hand came to rest on her hip and I gently rubbed my thumb backwards and forwards over the exposed flesh that I found her.

Her mouth left mine and she began kissing down my jawline, something she knew that I couldn't resist. I swear that's why she did it. She knew that it got me worked up. And hell, she was _definitely_ getting me worked up right now. I could feel myself getting hard right then and there, straining against my jeans, becoming almost painful.

Her kisses moved from my jaw down to the side of my throat, directly above my pulse point. And that really wasn't helping my problem ……… down south if you get what I mean. If anything it was making it worse.

I slid my hands up underneath the material of her shirt, one gently running up and down her spine, earning a little shiver of pleasure from her, accompanied by a moan as she continued to attack my throat, pressing deep, lingering open-mouth kisses up and down. I was sure that I was going to come out of this with more than one hickey. And I didn't care.

I ran my hands further up her shirt until my thumb grazed the bottom of her bra. I felt her chest push into my hand slightly and I knew that she was silently willing me to remove the annoying scrap of clothing. My hands went round to the back of her bra and made short work of the clasp. I was surprised when the bra fell away instantly. _Hmmm, strapless. Nice_!

I pulled her bra out from underneath her shirt and dropped it somewhere in the grass. She had started kissing along my collarbones now, but I heard her growl …… yes, you heard me right …… growl when she encountered my t-shirt. Her hands instantly flew to the hem of my shirt and she began pulling it. I lifted my arms up, and she pulled the shirt over my head, throwing it to meet her bra wherever it was in the grass.

She shifted her position and moved one leg over mine so that she was straddling me, an evil glint in her eye. She knew exactly what she was doing. She leaned down and resumed placing kisses on my collarbone, gently nipping, sucking and biting as she went, earning involuntary moans of pleasure from me. There was some part of my brain telling me that we should stop this before it went too far, but another part of my brain told me that there was no going back now.

My hands found their way to the buttons on her shirt and quickly undid each button one by one. When I had the last button undone, I slid the annoying material off of her shoulders and threw it away, in some random direction. Oh well, we would find it later. I pulled her back, stopping her rampage of kisses.

I looked at her and her fullness and she was incredible. She was perfect. The skin of her chest was milky. Pure. I wanted nothing more than to adorn every available millimetre with kisses, and that was what I was going to do.

She leaned down and crushed her lips to mine in a passionate kiss, This time, it was my mouth trailing kisses down her throat. I placed hot, wet open-mouthed kisses along each collarbone. My right hand found its way to her breast and I began gently tugging and playing with her nipple, that had become rock-solid at my touch. I used my other hand to press her ever closer to me, making sure that she couldn't escape even if she wanted to.

I heard a loud moan escape her lips as I took her other breast in my mouth, nipping and sucking at her nipple. I felt her shiver and heard her moan in pleasure as her back arched, pressing her breasts into my hand and mouth even more.

I decided that I was going to torment her a little and I licked her nipple once more, before taking my mouth away and blowing on it gently, earning a small gasp from her.

"Edward……" She moaned, gasping. "Bastard." I grinned at her, knowing that she was enjoying it as much as I was. "Edward……I want……I want………"

"What do you want?" I whispered, before taking her nipple back into my mouth and biting down gently, earning myself a little yelp from her.

"You!" She gasped. "I want………you………inside me………now! Edward!" I loved the way she moaned my name and being perfectly honest, I wanted it as much as she did.

I was having a hard time – no pun intended – controlling myself. I could feel her heat, even through both sets of jeans and underwear and I didn't know how long I would be able to hold out.

"Edward, I _need_ you!"

Gently, I rolled us over so that I was on top, still licking and biting down on her nipple, causing her back to arch into me every time.

I felt her hands run down my back and round to the front of my jeans, quickly unbuckling my belt. She undid my jeans and pushed them down, taking my boxers down with them at the same time, freeing my aching erection. I slid my hands down her stomach, sending gentle ripples running down her body, causing my to smile and undid the button on her jeans. I slid her jeans and panties down at the same time and we both rid ourselves of the binding material, tossing them god knows how far away, neither of us caring that we were now completely naked and exposed to the world. We were lost in our own little world and I was more than willing to stay there forever.

I trailed kisses back up her throat before attacking her mouth with mine, our tongues battling furiously for supremecy.

"Edward!" She moaned throatily, earning a groan to come from my own throat in response. "Please." She mumbled against my lips. "Please. I need you."

Not able to prolong it any longer, I positioned myself at her entrance and pushed myself into her, revelling in the feeling of her surrounding me, the closeness and bond that we shared. She moaned into my mouth as I moved in and out of her, her hips moving in time with mine.

We quickly developed a rhythm, increasing our speed and intensity with each thrust bringing the both of us closer and closer to the edge. I heard her moans and gasps picking up speed and intensity along with mine as we both approached our climaxes.

She suddenly arched her back, moaning in pleasure, my name escaping her hips over and over again as her walls tightened around me and she shuddered riding out her orgasm. At the exact same moment, I felt the same extreme pleasure rip through my body and I felt as though I couldn't move as I exploded inside of her, her name falling off of my tongue over and over again.

We both lay there, completely still for a few more moments, each riding out the storm, before we moved again. I leaned down and kissed her forehead, which was now covered in sweat. I knew that I wasn't much better off.

"I love you," I whispered, peppering kisses all over her face.

"As I love you," She said, giggling at the lightness of my kisses.

I slid out of her and rolled off her, immediately missing the closeness that we had just shared. We lay there in each others arms, staring into each others eyes, oblivious to the world. We could have had the largest audience the world has ever known watching us, and it wouldn't have made any difference at all. All we knew was each other.

"I can't believe we just did that," She sighed, a huge smile spreading across her face.

"Me neither." I smiled back.

"Who would've thought." She trailed a finger down my chest. "One of the others, Rose or Emmett maybe, but not us."

"Well," I shrugged as much as I could lying on my side. "Like they say "it's the quiet ones"." She grinned and giggled at my statement. "By the way, when you said Rose or Emmett, you didn't mean………together, did you?"

"Ew, NO!" She shrieked.

"Thank God!" I put a hand to my forehead. "Because if you did, I think I would have had nightmares for the rest of eternity."

"Don't you mean, for the rest of your life?" She asked, confused, propping her head up on her elbow. She was so goddamn beautiful, lying there in the grass, completely exposed. _Note to self,_ I thought quickly. _Visit meadow with Bella more often._

"Mmmm………no." I shook my head. "Those images would have followed me wherever I went after death and tormented me for the rest of eternity. That much I know."

"Oh," She thought for a moment and shuddered. "I see your point."

"Mmmm…Bella." I whispered, running my finger up and down her arm. "I want to marry you………here."

"What?" She sounded confused.

"Why don't we have it here? In this meadow?" I smiled at her and her eyes lit up, and she nodded, smiling.

"It's perfect, Edward." She threw her arms around me, causing me to roll over onto my back as I wrapped my arms around her waist, holding her close to me.

"Careful, love, or we're going to have to have a repeat performance." I chuckled.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" She asked, lifting her head up, her eyes glinting at me wickedly.

"No, but I think that we should be getting back before my parents send out a search party." I raised my eyebrows and she she frowned. She, just like me, had forgotten about the fact that my family had no idea where we were.

"I guess you're right." She said, reluctantly sitting up and looking around. "You know, we're lucky that no one else is out here, or we could be done for indecent exposure." I laughed at her statement as I sat up. It was true, but from the looks of it, we were the only two here.

I looked around and saw that our clothing was scattered everywhere. We grudgingly got dressed again and I missed the closeness that I had just had with her. The feel of my skin against hers, nothing in the way. No barriers whatsoever.

Once we were sure that we had all articles of clothing accounted for we linked hands and casually walked towards the edge of the meadow that we had arrived in.

We wandered through the woods, for a time that didn't feel nearly long enough when I finally found some marks and specific tree formations that I recognised. We were near the house again. I didn't really want to have to face my family again, and I could tell by the way her pace slowed that she didn't want to either. I think she knew the same thing that I did: she was going to be abducted by Alice and Rose as soon as we walked into the house.

We made our way out of the woods and slowly across the yard. We had come out at the part of the woods closest to the front of the house. We walked around to the front of the house, and I noticed that neither Carlisle nor Esme's cars were parked out front. I exchanged a worried glance with Bella, and I could tell that she was thinking the same thing that I was: were they out looking for us.

We made our way up to the front of the house and let ourselves in, sharing knowing smiles.

She stopped me, just inside the door as I closed it. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled my head down, pressing her lips to mine in a tender kiss.

"Edward, I would have to say, that today was one of the best days of my life." She whispered.

"Definitely," I whispered, pressing my lips to hers again.

All of a sudden she was ripped from my arms and I was faced with an angry Alice and Rose who were glaring at me and dragging Bella away up the stairs.

"Edward! Help!" I made to go and help her.

"Don't you dare!" Alice stopped me. "Not after that little stunt this morning!" I grinned at the memory. "That was not funny!"

"No," I shook my head. "It was hilarious. You honestly, should have seen your faces. I wouldn't trade that for the world."

"Laugh it up!" Alice remarked and the next thing I knew all three girls were gone, and all I could hear was Bella screaming as she was being accosted by my two sisters.

"Edward!" I heard a booming voice call, or should I say bellow my name, "What the hell was that all about this morning?!" I turned around and saw Emmett and Jasper standing there staring at me, expressions a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "'Cause you know what?" They both walked towards me, grinning from ear to ear. The stopped in front of me, standing slightly to the left, so I wasn't facing them head on. "It was awesome. The girl's faces when they found that you and Bells weren't in your room. Priceless!" His bellowing laughter soon took over the whole house. "I mean when you said they only had two weeks to plan the wedding they thought you were being serious."

"I was." I said, my face a mask of seriousness.

"What?" They both looked at each other and then at me again. "Are you serious?" I nodded. "You and Bells are getting married in two weeks time?" I nodded again. "Really?"

"Yes, Emmett! Bella and I are getting married in two weeks time!" I practically shouted it and their faces broke out into the biggest grins I've ever seen.

"Well done mate." Jasper congratulated me.

"Congrats, Eddie!" Emmett closed the gap between us and pulled me into a hug. For once, I didn't freak out. I tensed up slightly, but other than that there was little reaction at all, something that surprised me. Maybe it had something to do with Bella and my discovery of the meadow. "This is great news!" He pulled back and grinned at me. "Who would have thought the littlest Cullen boy-" He stopped suddenly.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Someone's been having some fun!" Emmett grinned and Jasper moved around to see what Emmett was looking at, his face breaking out into a grin as well.

I closed my eyes, praying that they weren't looking at what I think they were looking at. I sighed and walked over to the mirror that hung at the bottom of the stairs.

Yep, sure enough there was an enormous purple hicky right there on my throat and a couple more on my collarbone. _Thank you Bella!_ I thought menacingly, starting to plot on how to get her back for it. "Shit." I mumbled and Emmett walked up behind me.

"_What_ did you guys _do_ today?" He laughed, clapping me on the back. "I don't think little Eddie here is as innocent as we think he is. At least, not anymore!" His laughter ran through the house again, almost deafening me.

"Does this mean………" Jasper started but didn't finish.

"Mean, what Jasper?" Emmett asked, suddenly curious.

"Does mean that Bella is no longer able to wear white on her wedding day?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me. _Great_, I thought, _now I have to deal with _both_ of them._

"Maybe." I said quickly, trying and failing to hide a smirk.

"Woah! Eddie-boy!" Emmett grabbed me round the shoulders and led me to the living room where he forced me down onto the sofa. He sat down next to me while Jasper sat down on the sofa closest to the one I was in. Why did I have a bad feeling about this? Oh, yeah, now I know why. Because it was my brothers! And everything they did instigated a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Well?" They were sitting there staring at me expectantly.

Even though I knew what they were after I really didn't want to talk about it so, I decided to play dumb."What?"

"What do you mean "what"? Come on Edward, you know what we want!" Emmett was sitting there and I swear that he was channeling Alice. And I swear that someone shouldn't be this excited about his little brother having sex. "Come on, details, man. Details. And don't give us the whole "I'm not telling you because I love her crap". We don't care about that?" He sat there and grinned at Jasper who smirked back at him.

"Yeah Eddie." Jasper goaded me, knowing I hated that name. He never usually called me it, only when he really wanted a reaction from me. "Come on, tell us. How do you feel now that you're no longer a virgin?" He grinned at me, knowing that they would get the answers out of me sooner or later. This was slightly worrying, especially coming from my brothers. I guess it could be worse……maybe. It could be Esme asking me all these questions. I shuddered internally at the thought.

"You two are like a pair of old women, you know that?" I looked between the two of them. "You'd fit in well at one of Esme's social group things better than you would at high school or college."

"Avoiding!" Emmett called and Jasper nodded. "Come on, spill! Did you enjoy your first time?"

I opened my mouth and closed it again. Did I tell them? I decided, yes. "Well……is that first time overall or first time outside, that you're talking about?" I looked between the two of them, smirking as their expressions turned to those of shock.

"Are you saying you "lost it" before today?" Emmett asked, disbeliving.

I nodded and he and Jasper stared at me, stunned. I knew that they had a million questions running through their minds so I leaned backwards into the sofa, knowing that I wasn't going to be let loose anytime soon. I also knew that Bella was probably getting the same treatment as me right now. _Great!_ I thought sarcastically. _What have I let myself in for?_

Today was going to be a _long_ day.

**I hope that was worth the wait. I promise it won't take as long for me to update again but this chapter had to be **_**perfect**_** and it just……..wasn't.  
In my mind, its as perfect as I can get it and I was getting a lot of demands for this story so I decided to post it.  
I hope you liked it :D  
Please review.  
xx**


	36. Preparations

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Have just found out that my little sister is making a fanvid for "Saving Edward". Ah! She's already got a preview of it up and its really good. I'm gonna post the link at the bottom of the page so you guys can see it and tell me what you think.**

**EPOV**

The next two weeks passed quickly. I would say too quickly, but that was not the truth. These two weeks could not have passed any faster if I had been in control of time myself.

Charlie had managed to ascertain the required documents to make it possible for Bella and I to marry before she turned eighteen and I could not thank him enough. Every time I saw him, I thanked him. And every time I thanked him, he told me that he couldn't have found a better man for his daughter if he had hand picked him himself. I told myself that he was lying, but I didn't tell him that. I didn't want to offend him, especially since he was giving me the best gift I could have ever wished for.

His daughter.

My Bella.

And soon she really would be. She would be _my_ Bella. Mine forever.

And I would be hers. Forever and always.

Telling the truth, I would always be hers. It didn't matter if we were joined as husband and wife or not, she had my heart. And she would hold it for as long as I lived.

It was the day before the wedding and Alice and Rosalie were working themselves into a frenzy.

Bella and I had shown the two of them the meadow and they had thought it was perfect. "Very us" they had called it. I wasn't too sure what that meant, but I was happy to hear from Bella that they didn't know what had happened here. As Emmett and Jasper had done with me, they had managed to get it out of her what had happened, but she hadn't let onto them where.

It would be perfect.

Everything was being set up right now. For the ceremony and for the reception, which was being held in my parents house.

Both Bella and I had been told to stay out of the way. Which was not something we were opposed to. Both Alice and Rosalie knew that we didn't want anything over the top. Alice couldn't see our reasoning, but with Rosalie there, she was kept under control. It was amusing to see actually. When Alice would make a decision that we thought was too oestentatious or ridiculous Rose would step in and offer her less "out there" ideas, as she called them. And the best thing was, Rosalie and Alice both had heads for things like this, so Alice couldn't really complain with Rose's choices.

Both Bella and I had had final say in all the decisions made, and we had vetoed some of Alice's ideas, as they didn't really work for either of us, but most of them we approved of, much to her delight.

They had stolen Bella away from me on that same day and dragged her to Seattle to locate a wedding dress. I was beginning to get worried when they didn't come home that night, at least until I received a phonecall from Bella saying that apparently they hadn't found a suitable wedding dress yet and were staying in a hotel, to save them the drive back to Forks and then the drive out tomorrow.

I could tell that Bella wasn't best pleased with this idea, and neither was I. I wanted my Bella, and sure, I had had more of Bella than I had planned that day, I still missed her. I missed her in bed with me, and I couldn't wait to hold her in my arms again.

She told me that even though they hadn't found a suitable wedding dress, they had found bridesmaids dresses, complete with matching shoes and accessories, tux's for us guys – the only thing I am not looking forward to about this. I hate formal attire, but I'll gladly do it if it allows me to marry Bella – silk tablecloths, matching crockery sets, an entire silverware collection and matching napkins.

Bella hadn't been allowed to see how much it had all cost, but I knew, knowing my sisters, that the price would have been through the roof. I could hear from Alice's compaints in the background that Bella wasn't being enthusiatic enough for her liking and that she should suck it up because they would be finding the perfect dress before leaving Seattle.

Apparently they had found the perfect dress because they came back the next day, Bella looking a little worse for wear and Alice and Rosalie looking extremely triumphant. They'd stopped off at Bella's house before coming to ours and I knew that they'd hidden the dress and "a few other things" as Alice had said with a sneaky smile on her face that I didn't trust.

"Edward!" Bella was moaning at me now. "Come on, I know you know. Please tell me!"

"For the last time love, yes I do know and no, I'm not telling you." I kissed her forehead lightly and she pouted at me. Not being able to resist that pout, I pressed a swift kiss to her lips and she grinned like an idiot. I couldn't help smiling back at her, she was so endearing.

"Why not!" Here we go again.

"Because, love it's a surprise." I told her, explaining like she was a two year old. She was smarter than anyone else I knew, and yet sometimes, her lack of intelligence astounded me. "And surprises aren't meant to be known."

"You know I hate surprises." She pouted again, stomping her foot.

"Did you just stomp your foot?" I asked her, laughing.

"Yes, and don't change the subject Edward Anthony!" I rolled my eyes. I hated it when she used my middle name. It was something she did when she was mad at me, but not mad enough to use my full name. I knew that she was just frustrated at the fact she was out of the loop on this one. "You know I hate suprises!"

"Oh, well," I shrugged, smirking at her. "I have a feeling you'll like this one."

"Well, how will you know if you don't tell me what it is?" She asked, putting on an innocent face and voice.

"Ah, nice try." My smirk grew into a grin and she scowled at me. "Don't worry, love, you won't have to wait much longer. I promise." I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She sighed and rested her head on my chest, obviously resigning herself to the fact that she was not getting anywhere with me. I wondered who her next victim would be.

"Well, I better not." She whispered menacingly, causing me to chuckle. "Or you're going to have one very disappointing wedding night." I frowned down at her and saw she had a wicked grin on her face. Whether or not she was being serious I didn't know. That was the annoying thing about Bella. She was very difficult for me to read.

"That's not a nice thing to say." I pouted at her and she grinned.

"Oh, you know I'm only kidding." She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. "Why would I deprive myself." She mumbled against my lips.

I grinned and pulled her closer to me, as our lips met again. I felt her hands run up my back and fist in my hair. I wasn't unable to hold back the moan that had formed in my throat when she did this. It hurt, but in the good way. It made me realise that I was in fact living this, and not dreaming.

For that was my fear.

My biggest fear was that I would wake up and I would still be in the hospital before we moved after my failed attempt at ending my own life. That none of this would be real and that none of this had happened. I didn't know what I would do if none of this had happened. Although there were some things that I would have had done differently, such as Bella's broken relationships with her mother and Jacob for example, and that whole fiasco with Tanya, that would have been nice to avoid. But even though all that had had happened, I didn't want the end result to change. Not at all.

"Alright, you two. Save it for the honeymoon." I heard Rosalie and Alice giggling from behind me. I broke the kiss with Bella and saw that she was blushing. I kissed both of her cheeks gently and she smiled up at me, pressing her lips to my lower jaw.

"What can we do for you two?" I asked the two of them politely as Bella continued kissing me jaw. I fought back a moan as I felt the tip of her tongue flick against my skin. I could feel her smile against my skin and I told myself that I would have to get her back for this at some point.

After the wedding though. That would make it even better. If I waited. Then she would think that I had forgotten about it. How could I forget this? She was practically molesting me in front of my sisters. Not that I was complaining mind you, but still………awkward much?

"Well, first Bella can stop trying to eat my dear brother." Rosalie raised an eyebrow and Bella stopped kissing my jaw, and I looked down to see her blushing. I kissed her forehead and looked at my sister. "And then the two of you can follow us." She and Alice, turned around and Rosalie beckoned for the two of us to follow them.

I looked at Bella and she stared straight back, nothing but innocence in her eyes. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the sensitive spot behind her earlobe and she whimpered slightly. "You're going to pay for that, my love." I whispered and she gulped, knowing I was completely serious.

We followed Alice and Rose out through the back door and into the woods. I knew we were going to the meadow, where everyone was working to get everything set up for tomorrow, but I really had no idea why. Bella and I had been told to stay away from the meadow, so that everything would be a surprise when we saw it. We both knew better than to argue with Alice or Rose on their own, so confronting the two of them together was completely out of the question.

We walked out onto the meadow and once again I was completely astounded by its beauty.

The only difference was that this time, there was an archway in the middle, with an alter underneath. There was a long red carpet running down from the alter and either side of this there were chairs set up for the guests. This was where we were to be married. And I could barely contain my smile.

As we walked towards it, I began to see the intricate designs that were woven into the archway. The girls had arranged it so that roses in numerous shades of pink and red were weaving in and out of the archway. They all mixed and merged together, creating a swirl of beautiful colour that would frame the two of us as we stood there.

I couldn't help the smile growing wider and wider as we approached. I noticed that all the chairs were supported on what looked like a wooden panel, so they wouldn't sink into the grass as the guests sat down. It made my heart swell to think of how much effort Rosalie and Alice had put into this wedding, just for Bella and myself. I stood there and gazed over everything, taking everything in.

Bella and I walked up to the alter and she ran her fingers over it. I smirked as I realised that we were standing in the direct centre of the meadow, remembering what else had occurred in this exact spot just two weeks ago.

Bella looked at me, obviously confused by my smirk. I looked at the ground and back up at her again. A moment later the confused expression disappeared from her face, only to be replaced by that gorgeous blush.

I walked over to Rosalie and Alice and did the last thing that they would expect. I hugged the both of them. I could tell that they were wondering what to do for a split second before they hugged me back but I could also tell that the gesture touched them, as they knew my hatred for being touched.

"Thank you," I whispered to them both and they both shook their heads at me.

"Anything for you, Edward." Alice said, as we broke apart.

"The two of you, you've been through so much," Rose placed a hand on my cheek and I felt good in not pulling away. The feeling wasn't too bad for me at the moment, but I figured that was because I was feeling so grateful and giddy at that moment in time, that I would have let anything go. "Especially you, Edward. You deserve this day to be as perfect as we can make it. You deserve your happy ending little brother." She smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back. Rose may be hard headed and scare the crap out of most of the guys around her, and most of the girls too, she was still my big sister and I loved her. She was one of the kindest, gentlest people you've ever met, once you really got to know her.

I knew that she would always be there for me.

"And _that _leads us to Bella," Alice said, winking at me. I knew what was coming. We were giving Bella her surprise now. "You want your surprise now?"

"Not really," Bella mumbled walking up to me. "But I guess I don't really have much of a choice."

"Oh," A feminine voice came from behind me and Bella went rigid. "I would have thought you'd miss me more than that."

Bella spun around, nearly yanking my arm out of its socket as she did so. I disentangled my hand from hers as she stood there stunned, staring at the tanned girl I had yet to meet standing in front of us.

Bella stood there in shock for a moment, a mixture of emotions darting across her face. I could make out confusion, amazement, back to confusion, joy, and … well, let's just say my Bella was a little confused. It must have been at least a full minute before she went running towards the girl and jumping on her.

I had never taken my Bella to be a screamer, but it seems that I was proven wrong.

**BPOV**

Oh. My God!!

What was she doing here?

How did she get here? How did she even know about this? I hadn't spoken to anyone from Phoenix apart from my mother and lets just say, she was _definitely_ not finding out about this until it was too late.

But here she was. She was standing here in front of me. As real as the ring on my finger, though I was still contemplating how much of that was actually a dream.

But ……… she was here!

Siobhan!

My best friend from Phoenix. The only one I really got on with when I first moved to Phoenix with my mother after we left my father here. She had quickly become my best friend and we were inseparable.

She had been devastated at my decision to move, but she knew the reasons why I did. And after all the initial tears and rampages and tantrums, telling me that I couldn't go, that I couldn't leave her, I had her support. She knew that it was something that I had to do. Not so much for me, but for my mother and Phil.

See, now, why couldn't my mother do the same for me?

I'll never understand what goes through that womans brain.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had run and jumped on her, squealing in a perfect Alice moment. I could hear laughter from behind me and I knew that the others were watching me as I ploughed into my best friend. But I didn't care. All that matters was that she was here.

"Oh my god, Bells, I've missed you." She mumbled wrapping her arms around me and squeezing me as hard as I was squeezing her.

"I've missed you too, Shivs." I mumbled back, trying and failing to hold back tears. "So much."

We broke apart and laughed at each other. We were both crying.

I stepped back, taking in my best friend. She was still beautiful of course. With her beautifully thick strawberry blonde hair and amazingly clear green eyes she was the epitome of beautiful. She even rivalled Rosalie. But I would never say that, because I would love to live to see my wedding day.

She had lost the last of the baby weight that she had had, we both had since I'd last seen her and now she was lean and toned. A true Arizonian girl. Her beautiful tan stood out here in dreary Forks, but she seemed to give off her own light. And I could feel it spreading. Her laughter and light were infectious.

I hugged her again, realising for the first time how much I had missed her.

I pulled away and took her hand in mine. I led her towards Edward, Rosalie and Alice, who all stood there grinning.

Alice and Rosalie looked like the had won the lottery at my reaction and I knew it wa because of the two of them that she was here. If not for the two of them, no one in Phoenix would have found out about my wedding until I was married and being forced to move back to Phoenix with my mother.

My mother!

If Siobhan knew then who's to say that Renee didn't as well. I stopped and turned around.

"Shivs." I said, my voice serious. "Does Renee know you're here."

"Nope." She said with a grin on her face. "I told my mom to tell her that I was visiting cousins out of state if she asked for me."

I blew out a sigh of relief. Siobhan's mother and Renee were best friends. They told each other everything. They had become friends when I met Siobhan and we had made the perfect little mother daughter quartet.

Not so perfect anymore.

I smiled at her and pulled her towards Edward. I wanted her to meet him and vice versa. I knew that they would get along.

She stopped me suddenly and pulled me towards her. "Bells, is that him?" She whispered, and I nodded. Her jaw dropped slightly and she looked back at him. If it were anyone else looking at him, I would be insanely jealous and possessive, yeah, I admit it alright. But with Siobhan it was different. I knew for a fact that she would never do anything like that. Especially to me. "He's gorgeous!" She whispered, her eyes going wide. "Well done."

I laughed. "I'm so lucky to have him." I sighed. "He's so perfect."

"No one's perfect." She wiggled a finger at me and I cursed her for being right. Edward still had a lot of walls that needed to be breached, but those would come down eventually. At least I hoped so.

"No, maybe not." I agreed. "But he's as close as it gets." I started pulling her towards him again. "Come on, I want you to meet him." She came willingly and I stopped in front of Edward, pressing my lips to his. "Edward, I want you to meet Siobhan, my best friend from Phoenix. Shivs meet Edward, my fiance."

The two of them greeted each other, both wearing genuine smiles. They seemed to really hit it off as we walked back to the house. I was so glad that I had her here. It made me wonder though.

If my best friend could accept and approve Edward, then how come my mother couldn't?

How come she refused to listen to anything anyone had to say about him? Especially if it was good. She seemed to listen to Jacob well enough, so why couldn't she listen to me and Charlie?

There's something more going on here and I was going to find out what it was.

I knew that it wouldn't do to think about it now. I had to concentrate on my marriage to Edward. With Siobhan here, everything was now perfect.

I just didn't want to thin about what they had in store for me tonight.

**Sorry this chapter was a bit short, but I needed a bit of a filler chapter before it got to the nights before the wedding. :D  
They're up next.**

**www[dot]youtube[dot]com/watch?v=EFq3_QNjJw4 **

**This is the link to the fanvid preview that my sister has made for Saving Edward. Its really good and I love it :D  
Go and check it out.  
If you don't then I might not update for a week. How do you feel about that? Huh? Wanna know how you can get me to update sooner? Go watch my sisters vid ;P  
Please review  
xx**


	37. Till Death Do Us Part

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**I'm skipping straight to the wedding for a reason. Don't worry, you'll find out what happened the night before all in due time.**

**As a request from my sister, I will tell you that she's working on the video as fast as she can. I've seen what she's got so far and I really like it, and she knows that I'm the worst critic of ……… well, anything, really. When she's finished with it, I'll be posting the link on my profile :D**

**EPOV**

I woke up lying on the sofa in the living room.

I looked around and saw that Emmett was lying flat out like a starfish on the floor, Jasper was curled up on the chair hugging a pillow, Charlie was snoring on another sofa, bottle in hand and even Carlisle had crashed, curled up in the love seat. Last night had been good and I couldn't help but laugh at my brothers, father and future father-in-law. Though tonight he would be my _actual_ father in law.

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.

I was getting married today.

A lot of people may think that the two of us were too young, but it didn't matter to me. I knew that I didn't want to be with anyone else other than Bella. She completed me. She was my other half. And today, she would become mine and I would become hers.

Forever.

I stood up and stretched, taking out my phone and snapping a picture of each of them, before jogging up the stairs to my room. I knew that they would kill me for it, and I didn't really want to die on my wedding day so I decided I would show them to them after the honeymoon.

I still didn't know where we were going. Carlisle and Esme had organised it and both Bella and I were in the dark on this one. She was as curious as I was. We didn't have to worry about packing though, because Alice said she would do it for us. Well, that's the wrong way to put it. She pretty much forbade us from packing ourselves as it would give away where we were going and what Carlisle and Esme had planned.

I grabbed a towel from my room and jumped in the shower. I let the hot water wash over me with the intense feeling of completion and comfort welling up inside of me. From what I had heard a lot of people get a sense of cold-feet as they call it. Worries about getting married, are they doing the right thing? But I had none of that. This was what I wanted. I didn't want anything else.

Nothing else would be this perfect.

All I needed was Bella and everything would be perfect. All of my sisters preparations for the day just made it all that much better.

I finished my shower, dried off and dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a casual button down shirt. I walked down the stairs and smirked when I saw that nobody else had moved. They were all in the same positions as before I left.

I walked into the kitchen and made myself some breakfast, but then again, looking at the clock, the term breakfast wasn't really appropriate. Lunch was more like it. At 12:14PM I was glad that Bella and I were having an evening wedding.

Even though we were in the middle of summer, the days weren't ending that late. Something about where we were on the globe or something like that. I don't know. I usually stop paying attention when people start talking like that. It bores me. I'm not ashamed to admit that.

Any more.

Sitting there eating my cereal I thought back to how much my life has changed in the last year. This time last year I wouldn't have been sat here eating cereal. I wouldn't have been eating anything full stop. I was at the lowest point in my life. Or getting that way anyway. I didn't even dream that I would one day be this happy.

And it was because of one person.

Isabella Swan.

Who, by the end of this day, will be Isabella Cullen.

I couldn't help but smile at the thought of Bella being my wife. My _wife_. It just made me grin even wider.

If someone had told me this time last year that I would be getting married on this day I would have laughed in their face, told them to get a life and stormed off. But then again, I had changed. I wasn't that person anymore. Was I?

I thought back to medication as I was taking it out of the cupboard and unscrewing it. Was I really feeling this way or was it because of these little pills that I had to force down my throat every day? I didn't know. And I knew that I would probably never find out.

I realised that this morning I didn't care. I was too happy. I suddenly realised that I was bouncing around the kitchen like Alice on a regular morning. It was quite worrying, but then again I put it down to my excitement for the day.

I made myself a camomile tea to help calm myself down, as it normally does. Other people say that tea helps to calm them, but I can't have tea because of the caffeine but herbal teas: perfectly fine.

I was broken out of my musings by the front door opening and Alice yelling at us all to wake up. She obviously knew that there was very little chance that we would be awake, so yelling was the best option. I walked out of the kitchen and smiled at her. She grinned back innocently, moving into the living room.

Alice had taken it upon herself to get us guys ready as well. She knew that she could have Bella and us all ready in time. The house was being used for the reception and it was the task of the others to clear up after last night. Thankfully, seeing as I was the one getting married, I got off cleaning duties. I made a mental note to hide in my room until they were done.

I followed Alice into the living room and laughed as the others, including Carlisle and Charlie were rudely woken up by a hyperactive pixie.

I knew that if he could have done, Emmett would have slaughtered her in whatever fashion he felt like, but seeing as he couldn't especially with their father in the same room, he settled for throwing a few pillows at her. It was all very amusing to watch.

The four of them grumbled and groaned rolling over and glaring at Alice. Even Carlisle had an evil glint in his eye, that was not the crafty evil glint I had come to know from Alice. This was one that wished pain on the little pixie.

"I'll be back in ten you guys," She chirped, skipping back out to me. "Edward." She walked over to me. "Make sure they tidy up." I nodded and she grinned at me. "Remind them I'll be back." I mock saluted and she skipped back outside.

"Hi," I said cheerily at them earning myself growls. "Alice says that she'll be back in ten so you guys better get tidying. Seeing as I don't have to help I'm going to try and get some real sleep before tonight, so I will be in my room." I said all of that so fast that I don't think _I_ understood what I said.

The four of them stood there in silence trying to comprehend what I had said for a moment before I shook my head and started to walk away.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!" Jasper called, causing me to turn to face them. "Medication police buddy! Put the mug down, step away from the coffee!"

I wondered why he thought that I was drinking coffee and then I remembered the fact that I was a lot more active than normal, and that I had a mug in my hand. Charlie stood there looking perplexed while Emmett and Carlisle shook their heads, silently reprimanding me.

I rolled my eyes at the four of them. "It's herbal tea." I stated sarcastically. "I am on a natural high. It's not everyday that a guy gets married, you know?"

Although the four of them grinned at me, they didn't seem appeased by my answer and Carlisle walked over to make sure that I was in fact drinking herbal tea. I took a look and I grinned at him innocently. "Can I go now?"

"You know, I don't see how fair it is that Edward gets off cleaning up." Emmett moaned and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Boys!" Carlisle warned, so we stopped. Jasper stood there shaking his head and Charlie was chuckling. "Charlie?" Carlisle called and Charlie turned to face him. "You do realise that after this evening, he's _your_ son as well?" Charlie turned serious at that comment. Carlisle grinned walking into the kitchen.

"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?" I asked him, following him through to the kitchen, placing my mug on the breakfast bar.

"I did?" Carlilse asked in mock innocence, turning on the coffee machine, his back facing me. I shook my head at him. _Amateur_, I thought.

"Carlisle, you are an even worse liar than Bella." I picked up my mug and left him there. "I'm going to bed." I stated as I walked out of the kitchen, Carlisle staring at me as I went.

I walked out of the kitchen to find Jasper and Emmett staring at me, obviously not happy with the circumstances. "How come you get out of cleaning with the rest of us?" Emmett asked, clearly irritated.

"Because he's the one getting married today." Alice chirped, walking back into the house and giving both of her brothers a smile that stated "and if you've got a problem with that, you can take it up with me". I could see them both cowering at her glare and I stuck my tongue out at the two of them before running up the stairs. I could hear Charlie chuckling from down the stairs.

I walked into my bedroom and locked the door, not trusting my brothers to leave me be. I knew that Alice would be able to get in when she felt that it was time for me to get up. Carlisle would surely give her the key he possessed to my room. Having Alice as an alarm clock would prove to be useful, especially today.

I had no idea how I was going to sleep today. I was too wound up. I was too excited at what was going to happen in approximately eight hours time, well, more like seven now, but still. I also didn't want to think about what my Bella was going through. Normally she hated make-overs of any sort, but today was going to be even worse for her. Granted she always looked incredible and I knew that today was going to blow every other make-over out of the water, but I still didn't like the thought of her being unhappy.

I changed into an old t-shirt and my sweats and climbed into bed, willing my mind to stop running. It must have done at some point because soon I was drifting off into a sea of blackness.

////////////

The next thing I knew, I was being woken up by someone, namely Alice, jumping up and down on my bed, squealing at me. It wasn't angry squealing so I knew that I wasn't in trouble for sleeping for too long. It was excited, happy squealing.

"Come on, wakey-wakey Edward!" The speed of her bouncing and the pitch of her squeals increased. She reminded me of a five year old on a sugar high at Christmas. Or worse, if that was possible, but then again, with Alice, anything is possible.

"I'm up!" I moaned, rolling over and facing away from the annoying pixie. "I'm awake!"

"Come on, it's half six!" She squealed as I shoved my head underneath the pillow. "You're lucky I let you sleep in this long." I could tell that she was not impressed with my lack of response. "You know if you were allowed caffeine this whole thing would be so much easier." I still didn't give her a response. "Fine, then. I'll just have to go tell Bella that you don't want to get married today. She'll be heartbroken you know."

That was enough to get me up. I sat up so fast that my head spun. "I'm up! I'm up!" I looked at her and seeing the huge grin on her face I attempted to throw a pillow at her, failing miserably. This action only resulted in her laughing at me. "_That_ Mary Alice Cullen, was cruel and mean and, and, and my brain isn't working properly so I can't think of anything else to say."

"Well, good, because you need to take a quick shower and get dressed. I want you over at the meadow at 7:45. Got it?!" I knew not to argue with that tone. I nodded silently and she bounced out of the room. I sighed and flopped back down on my bed, closing my eyes. "That means _now_, Edward!"

"Yes, Mom!" I shouted mockingly and her head popped back around the door.

"Up, now!" She shouted at me as an angry parent would when trying to get a child up for school. I wasn't trying to stall getting out of bed, but after such a long nap, I was still tired and aggravating Alice, well, I don't think that there was any other day that I would be able to get away with it. She was too happy for me to do anything mean to me today.

I rolled out of bed and looked at her raising my eyebrows and she grinned at me before her head disappeared and she ran down the stairs.

I closed my bedroom door and grabbed a towel before I walked into the bathroom. I stepped into the shower for the second time today and I repeated the same ritual I did every time I stepped underneath the steaming jet of water. I couldn't help but grin to myself when I thought about how I would be marrying the love of my life in around an hours time.

I stepped out of the shower and towelled myself dry. I wrapped the towel around my waist and walked out into my bedroom. I quickly noticed the garmet bag holding my suit, lying on my bed. I smiled and knew that it would be Alice that put it there, as no one else was allowed their outfits until they were putting them on. I hated to think of how she had been treating Bella today.

I had to admire the little pixie. She was really working herself to make sure that our wedding went off without a hitch. I couldn't help but smile at the dedication my little sister was putting into it all. Even though it was a small ceremony, it was still a lot of work and I had to hand it to her. Everything had been perfect so far. I just had to hope that nothing would happen.

I wouldn't let anything ruin this day.

I threw on my suit and walked down the stairs and looked at the clock. It was seven thirty and I could see the sun was beginning to dip in the sky.

"Well, son," Carlisle walked up to me, the largest grin on his face. "How do you feel?"

"I feel……indescribable." I said truthfully. There wasn't a word to describe how I felt. "I just……I don't know. I don't know how to describe it."

"Is that a good thing?" Emmett asked, jokingly and Carlisle shot him a look that shut him up instantly.

"I have a feeling it's a very good thing." He said confidently and I grinned at him. "Anyway, we best get going. Wouldn't want your sister to behead us all on your wedding day, would you?"

"No, that is _not_ in the agenda for today." I chuckled and we all walked through the door.

The guests were arriving now, and they were all being directed into an area while they waited for one of the family to show them to where the ceremony was being held. Emmett, Jasper and I walked through the trees, marvelling at how Alice and Rosalie had managed to pick out a route that was completely void of roots or any kind of interference. I silently thanked them all, seeing as this would be one less worry for Bella.

As I walked over to where the alter was set up I noticed that there was a tent at the end, and I knew for a fact that that hadn't been there yesterday, when Bella and I came to see it.

"Ah ah!" Jasper warned, seeing my confusion over the tent. "Sorry bro, you're not allowed in there." I looked at him, perplexed for a moment before I realised that Bella must be in the tent. "Yeah, you can just go and wait up the front there." He pointed to the alter. "See there, that's you're spot."

"Well jeez, Jazz," I said rolling my eyes at him. "I would never have guessed that. I'm _so_ glad you pointed it out."

"Ha ha, very funny!" He smirked at me. "Just go."

I shook my head and walked over to the alter, taking a deep breath as I went.

"Are you nervous?" I heard a feminine voice asked me. I turned around to see Bella's friend Siobhan standing behind me, smiling widely.

I took a breath and looked her in the eyes. "No." I smiled at her. "No, I'm not. If I were nervous then it would mean that I'm not one hundred per cent sure about this. And I am. I've never wanted anything so much in my life."

"You know," She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. "Bella's a lucky girl."

"No, " I disagreed, shaking my head. "I'm the lucky one."

"Congratulations, Edward." She touched my arm gently and briefly before turning away to find her seat.

I took a deep breath as people started to sit down. There weren't many people here, family mainly. I was glad to hear that Bella's mother didn't know about this, or I doubted that our wedding would even be happening.

Alice was running around like a headless chicken, making sure that everything was going okaym that everything was on schedule. At one point I actually grabbed her by the shoulders, going against everything that my head was telling me, and calmed her down. It was quite amusing, seeing as I was supposed to be the one freaking out at the moment. I shook my head as I let her go and she resumed her rampage.

At one point, Jasper walked out of the tent at the end of the carpet looking stunned. He looked as though he would have been knocked over by a feather had it attacked him. I couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"Please tell me how we've put up with her all our lives." He sounded dazed and was probably fairly traumatized.

"You think she's bad now, wait until she's organising _her_ wedding." I joked and he grimaced.

"Oh, don't even…." He didn't finish and we both pictured what she would be like when it came to her own wedding. That was something I would stay out of the way for. I would just do as I was told.

"JASPER!" I heard Alice shouting from inside the tent and his face went pale.

"You've been summoned." I joked at he shot me a pleading look. I held up my hands to show him that none of this was in my control. It was all Alice. He sighed and walked back down towards the tent before he got into trouble.

"Nervous?" I heard someone come up behind me. I turned to see Carlisle standing there beaming at me. Carlisle was my best man. Despite this he wouldn't be walking down the aisle with Esme. He would be waiting with me at the alter and that was something that I was thankful for. Even though I knew that I had nothing to worry about, I felt that I needed him here. Just for the support, you know?

"No, I'm not." I answered him truthfully. He stood there and smiled at me, and I could feel the pride rolling off of him in waves.

I looked up at the tent as the minister took his position at the alter and the gentle melody of Clair de Lune began to play. I grinned to myself at Alice's choice of music and I knew that she had been paying more attention to Bella and myself than we gave her credit for.

The first one's to appear were Emmett and Rosalie. I saw that Rosalie was wearing a deep red floor length dress with a v-neckline and a fitted waist – don't ask me how I knew that, try living with Alice for ten years and lets see how you fare. She looked incredible. The red really contrasted with her blonde hair and I knew that this was going to be a dress that was used to break some hearts. The next one to come out of the tent was Alice. She was wearing the same style of dress, but hers was in a rose colour. She too looked incredible as she walked down the aisle, arm in arm with Jasper. **(A/N: Links to all dresses, inc. Bella's wedding dress are in A/N at bottom of the page).**

I took a deep breath and watched the tent eagerly as I waited for the one woman I was longing for to come out of the tent. When she did I wasn't prepared for the vision that stood in front of me.

If I thought that she was beautiful everyday then what I was seeing now was indescribable. She looked incredible. I felt my breath catch as she smile when she walked towards me.

She was wearing a sheer white, floor length dress, with a v-neckline, that didn't plunge as low as the one on Alice and Rosalie's but was perfect for Bella. It was met with a diamond cluster in the centre of her chest which fed down into an empire line that allowed the dress to flow around her. Again, don't judge me, I live with Alice remember?!

I only remembered to breathe once she was standing in front of me and she kissed her Dad. I could see that he was brimming with pride and joy. I looked down at Bella and I could feel all the love that I felt for this one perfect being, shining through in my eyes. There was nothing that could ruin this day. Nothing at all.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to join………" I drowned him out after that, not taking my eyes off of Bella, whilst she stared lovingly back into mine. I couldn't really believe that this was happening.

"And now, we move onto the vows. Bella?"

We had opted for our own vows, instead of the same old ones that had been read and recited over and over again. We wanted ours to be unique to us.

"Edward," She started and her eyes filled with more love and adoration than I had ever seen. I was still in shock over the fact that it was directed at me. "You are the most remarkable person I have ever met. When I first met you, you were sad and alone, you didn't open up to anyone. And then, for some reason, you decided to let me in, and I thank whatever … force there is out there that led me to you. Because if it weren't for them, then I wouldn't have had the wonderous year that I have had. I wouldn't have shared it with you. And all the laughter and tears, all the stresses and the tantrums, all the fights……it's all been worth it. Because it led me here today, with you. And I wouldn't change anything that's happened for the world. Because I love you, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, and I am ready to become yours. Forever. Always." As she finished, I had a hard time not scooping her up in my arms and showing her how much I loved her then and there. But I managed to hold back. How? I have no idea.

"Edward?"

I took a deep breath before I started. "Bella, when I first met you, I was a shell of a person. I didn't let anybody in, because I didn't feel a connection to anybody. I'd resigned myself to the knowledge that I would never have what others around me had. It was I'd accepted. And then you came along, and in true Bella style, you blew all of my thoughts and ideas out of my head. Honestly, that scared me, but in the best way possible, because if it didn't then I wouldn't be standing here today. You brought me back to life, Bella. If not for you, I would still be the same person that I was a year ago. You saved me Bella, in more ways than one. You made me whole again. Without you, I am incomplete. I love you Bella. My confidante, my friend, my love……my soulmate. I am yours. Forever." I smiled at her as I finished and I saw that she had tears in her eyes. I had tears welling up in my own eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Yet anyway.

"If anyone has any legitimate reason why these two people should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." The minister called out to the audience. This was the bit I had been dreading. Any moment now I was expecting Jacob or Renee to appear and shout that they object.

When nobody made any move I felt myself relaxing and I saw that Bella had been thinking the same thing.

"Very well." The minister confirmed that no one had any objections. "Do you Isabella Marie Swan, take Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, to be your wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish as long as you both shall live?"

She spoke quietly but clearly and full of confidence. "I do."

He turned to look at me, but I still didn't take my eyes off of Bella. "Do you Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, take Isabella Marie Swan, to be your wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish as long as you both shall live?"

I didn't hesitate at all with my answer. "I do." I wanted to shout it, but I managed to keep it to a manageable volume, but I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.

"The rings?" I turned around and took the ring that Carlisle handed me and slid it onto Bella's finger as she did the same with a ring of her own. I looked into her eyes and I couldn't help the huge grin I had on my face. This was happening. This was really happening. Bella was becoming my wife, right here, right now.

"Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife." He looked between the two of us. "You may kiss the bride."

I immediately stepped up to Bella and wrapped my arms around her waist as I felt hers wrapping around my neck. I crushed my lips to hers and filled the kiss with as much love and passion as I could in the short time we had up there. I could feel her doing the same and I felt my heart soar.

I could hear people clapping as we broke apart. I opened my eyes and looked down into the eyes of my wife.

_My wife!_

I had been thinking of nothing else for weeks and she was finally my _wife_.

Isabella Marie Cullen.

Till death do us part.

**They're finally married.  
Next up is the reception, speeches and Bella and Edward find out what has been planned for their honeymoon, seeing as they have no clue.  
Hope you enjoyed it.**

**Alice and Rosalie's dress: ****http://www[dot]thebridalwearcompany[dot]co[dot]uk/store/edendressdetails-wedding-bridesmaid_dress_**

**Bella's dress: ****http://www[dot]thebridalwearcompany[dot]co[dot]uk/store/edendressdetails-wedding-wedding_dress_**

**Edward and Bella's wedding band: ****http://www[dot]thebeautifulcompany[dot]co[dot]uk/products/platinum-rings-all/platinum-diamond-wedding-ring-4mm_plc30512p34/4016**

**  
Please review.  
xx**


	38. Reception

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**A lot of you were freaking out over the last line of the last chapter. Just to let you know that that line is **_**not**_** foreshadowing. It was merely to illustrate the point that Edward and Bellw will love no one else for the rest of their lives. Sorry if that freaked anyone out too much.**

**I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Having Renee or Jacob ruin it was never an option for me. I wanted these two to have their day, and I wanted them to have it go off without a hitch. Having anything ruin their day didn't even cross my mind.**

**For those of you who can't get the links that were in the AN at the bottom of the last page to work, they're on my profile.**

**I'm going to shut up now, and get on with the story.**

**EPOV**

I'm dreaming.

I must be.

Everything that's happened today, well, in the last year, must be a dream, because there is no way I am this lucky in life. Stuff like this just doesn't happen to me.

I am currently sitting in my back yard, in a large gazebo that Alice had had put up to hold our reception, surrounded by my friends and family, next to the most beautiful, amazing woman in the world. Who so happens to be my wife.

Yeah, I'm dreaming.

I can't remember ever feeling this happy. It's as though I'm finally complete, and nothing can bring me down off of my high. Only when I wake up that is.

Bella looks absolutely radiant. She's glowing. She looks incredible in her wedding dress, as I knew she would. To me, she could have walked down the aisle in her pyjamas and I would have thought that she was perfect. But then again, thinking about that, if she had, Alice would have had a fit.

That would have been amusing.

"Edward?" Bella called from where she was sitting next to me. "Are you alright?" She was looking concerned. I must have been really deep in thought for her to give me that look.

"I'm absolutely perfect." I whispered, pressing my lips to hers gently. "I'm just waiting to wake up." She smiled at me, and kissed me again gently. I then felt a sharp pain in my hand where she pinched me. "Ow!"

"You're not dreaming, love." She giggled at me.

"I guess not." I couldn't help but grin back at her. "You could have found a nicer way to prove that to me though."

"Well, they say that if you're dreaming you can't feel pain, so…" She shrugged as if that justified her action. I mock scowled at her and she giggled again.

I looked around the room, and saw everyone starting to sit down at the various tables that had been set out in the gazebo. It was still warm out even though the sun had gone down. Even so, Alice had had heaters put into the gazebo for when the temperature did start to drop.

"Alice has really outdone herself, hasn't she?" Bella commented, gazing around in the same fashion that I was.

I nodded and smiled at her. "That she has." I kissed her cheek gently. "I think we need to get her a _very_ expensive present." Bella turned to look at me, nodding.

Alice was still in organizer mode, even though she was acting the bridesmaid as well. Bella hadn't been able to choose between Alice and Rosalie for her maids of honour so she had picked both of them. Rosalie slot into that role perfectly fine, although I knew for a fact that she wouldn't be getting with the best man, seeing as that was our father, and even though that's what tradition says, that's just wrong. I shuddered thinking about it.

"Cold?" Bella asked, looking concerned again. She had felt my shudder at the disturbing thought.

"No," I shook my head. "A very disturbing thought has just flashed through my mind and I want to get rid of it."

"What was it?"

"You don't want to know." I told her and she shrugged. I knew that she would ask me about it later, but I think she knew that she would get the exact same response from me.

I looked at her and I found myself getting lost in those beautiful brown eyes of hers. I could get lost in those forever and now actually could. There was nothing that could keep us apart now. We were bound forever. And I wouldn't have it any other way. From the look in her eyes, I got the feeling that she wouldn't either. That thought made my heart swell.

I heard the faint tinkling of spoons being tapped against glasses and I took a deep breath preparing myself for the speeches that were about to come. I could see Bella doing the same, and I smiled, squeezing the hand that was intertwined in mine.

I looked up and saw Carlisle standing up, looking a little nervous. Carlisle had never been one for public speaking. He didn't really have the nerve for it, but there was no way that he would pass up this opportunity. I just hope that he wouldn't bring up anything too bad.

"Now, I know that it's traditionally the best man's job to embarrass the bride and groom with a revealing speech, you know, about their past." I could tell that he was nervous, but he didn't show it to everyone else. "But, there's nothing funny about the two people sat beside me. They have fought through trials that would have broken a weaker couple. Now, I know a lot of you are probably thinking that the two of them are two young to be married, but I have to disagree with you. When it comes to a love like the one that Edward and Bella share, there is no proper age for this day to take place. I am so incredibly proud of the two of you, and I couldn't have found a better woman for my son if I had hand picked her myself. Bella, you're a godsend." I looked at her and I could see that she had a faint pink flush rising on her cheek. I gave her a quick kiss and ahse grinned at me, visibly relaxing. "I would like to present, the brand new, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen."

With that everyone raised their glasses, champagne for the adults and everyone else had apple cider, which was good enough for me.

As Carlisle sat down, Rosalie stood up. It had been decided that because Alice had been running around like a headless chicken for this wedding, not that Rosalie didn't try to help, she just got shot down frequently, that Rosalie would be giving the Maid of Honour speech.

"This is the one that I'm dreading." Bella whispered in my ear.

"Why?" I asked in equally low tones.

"It's Rosalie." She actually looked worried at the thought of Rosalie's speech.

"True." I nodded. "Don't worry love, it can't be that bad."

"Wanna bet." She rolled her eyes at me.

"Bella, it's no secret how you've affected Edward and the rest of the family. You've brought him to life, bringing out a side of him that we thought we'd never see again. Before you came along he was moody and closed," I shot her a look and she smiled at me, innocenty. "But then you appeared in his life, and you changed him. You turned him into the loving and carefree, well almost carefree guy we have sitting in front of us right now. You've affected our family in so many ways. As soon as you appeared, you fit into our family just like a missing puzzle piece and from the first day I met you, I felt like I'd known you for years rather than minutes. You've always been my sister, and you always will be. I can't thank you enough for what you've done for my brother. A lot of people have been against my brother and Bella being together. Why? I have no idea, because it's so obvious that the two of you are supposed to be together. Just looking at the two of you, you can see that. And now, the two of you have your fairytale ending, but in a lot of ways, it's just the beginning for the two of you. I love you both so much." She raised her glass. "Bella and Edward."

Everyone toasted the two of us again and Rosalie sat down. "Thank you," I mouthed to her and she smiled at me. "See," I faced Bella. "Wasn't so bad."

Alice had organised for there to be a meal as well. Not anything huge, but something to fill stomachs before the band started playing. I found it mind boggling to think of how she'd done this all in two weeks. I would have felt it possible, but she had. It had all happened.

Everyone ate, chatting to the people at their table and I couldn't help but feeling a sense of peace. I couldn't keep my eyes off Bella. She was so beautiful. I wanted to imprint this night into my memory forever. This was one night I never wanted to forget.

"Son, " Carlisle called me, placing a hand on my shoulder. He handed me an envelope and smiled at me. "Here."

"What is it?" I asked, curious.

Bella had been given an envelope from Charlie as well. We looked at each other, confused and then back at our respective parents, who both gestured for us to open them.

"Open yours first." I said to Bella and she ran her finger underneath the lip of the envelope, still looking confused. I leaned over to see what it was and my mouth fell open.

"Two weeks in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Chicago." She whispered. She leaned over and hugged her father so tight that I thought his head was going to fly off. "Thank you Dad."

"Thank you so much Charlie." I took the evenlope from Bella and read through it in disbelief. I knew how expensive this hotel was, and I knew that it must be cutting into Charlie's retirement fund greatly.

"Your parents told me how much you missed Chicago, Edward." He shrugged. "And I know my baby girl wants to see where you moved from. I thought that this would be the perfect time to go." I smiled at him gratefully and he grinned back. "It's all in there, bookings under Cullen, plane tickets, transport information when you get there. All of it."

"Oh, Dad, thank you so much." Bella was starting to cry now. I knew that was a bad idea, especially seeing as Alice was sitting just across from her.

"Don't worry about it, kids." He shrugged as if it was nothing to him. "The two of you deserve it. Open the gift from your parents."

I had completely forgotten about the envelope that I had been given by my parents. I handed the envelope back to Bella and picked up the one that was lying on the table in front of me. It seemed that everyone had gone quiet while Bella and I did this and I found it incredibly nerve-wracking knowing that everyone was watching me. I slid my finger underneath the lip of the envelope and ripped it open quickly.

As I pulled out the paper within I couldn't believe my eyes. I felt my jaw drop in awe and I looked at Bella. She couldn't see what I was holding so I showed her. Her eyes went wide as she saw what it was. I could tell that everyone else wanted to know as well.

"They," I choked out. "They bought us a house."

There was silence as Bella and I looked at my parents who were smiling at us. "Actually, we _built_ you a house."

"This……this is too much." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes now, as I leaned in and hugged Carlisle. Bella stood up and embraced Esme as tightly as she could, muttering thanks and how it was too much and that we couldn't accept it. I would have stopped her saying those things, but I was saying the exact same things to Carlisle.

"Nonsense." Carlisle muttered. "The two of you deserve it. After all you've been through, the two of you deserve the chance to be happy and build your lives out from under the noses of the rest of the family." I hugged Carlisle again, before standing up to hug Esme.

"Oh, my baby boy." She was crying as well. "You _do_ deserve this. The both of you. And we're happy to do it for you. It will be completely ready for the two of you to move into by the time you get back from your honeymoon."

Bella and I sat back down and I kissed her swiftly, earning the two of us a collective "aww" from everyone sat in front of us. I heard Bella giggling and looked at her to see that she had turned a bright red.

I saw Emmett standing at the microphone in front of the band I felt the blood drain from my face.

"Oh no." I heard Bella mutter. She turned to look at me, her worried expression mirroring my own. "What's he doing?" I shook my head. I had no idea.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen. I think it's time for the couple's first dance as husband and wife don't you think?" He waved the two of us up to the dancefloor area of the gazebo. I stood up and Bella had turned the brightest shade of red that I had ever seen. "Come on, Bells. This is one dance you don't get out of."

She sighed and put her hand in mine. I pulled her up gently and we walked around to the dancefloor as Emmett stepped off the stage and walking back to his seat. When we approached the dancefloor "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron&Wine started playing. This was the one song that Bella and I had requested be played from Alice. It seemed that she didn't disappoint.

Bella looked nervous as we started dancing, so I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Are you alright, love?" I asked her and she looked at me, worried.

"You know I don't dance." She stated.

"Well, you're doing fine, at the moment." I pointed out, smiling.

"Yeah, you're saying that until I step on and bruise your toes." I laughed and she giggled at me. "I hate dancing."

"Well, just think, after this dance you don't have to get up here again." I told her and she shook her head, disagreeing with me.

"Not if Alice has her way." She sighed. I'd forgotten about Alice's tendency to embarrass Bella. I wouldn't let that happen tonight though. This night belonged to Bella and myself. Even though she had organised it all, I wasn't going to let Alice embarrass Bella at all.

As we finished our dance, people started clapping and moving onto the dancefloor themselves as the band struck up another song.

"You want to go and sit down?" I asked her and she nodded. We made our way back to our seats and sat down.

The rest of the night passed with nothing out of the ordinary happening at all. Of course, Jasper and Emmett had to go and embarrass themselves by having a break dancing contest in the middle of the dancefloor. And I say break dancing, when I mean, the might have probably broken something if they hadn't stopped when they did. Even that couldn't be blamed on alcohol because they were both completely sober. I looked at Bella who, in turn grinned back at me, seeming unashamed of her two new brothers.

"Right," Alice called over to the two of us. "You two need to go and change. Your flight is in two hours and I doubt that you want to get on the plane in a full wedding dress and tux do you?" We both shook our heads. "Right, Bella, your outfit is in my room and Edward yours is in yours obviously. I want you both back here in fifteen minutes or I'm coming to find you."

"Yes Ma'am." I mock saluted and Bella and I ran up into the house before anyone could stop us. Half way up the stairs, Bella stopped, turned around and attacked my lips.

"How much do you think we can get away with in fifteen minutes." She mumbled against my lips.

"Not nearly enough." I mumbled back, not breaking the kiss. She brought her head back up, breaking the kiss with a disappointed expression on her face.

"Dammit." She groaned, resuming her ascent of the stairs.

"Tell me about it." I followed her, silently glad that she had stopped there, or else I would have had a problem that would have needed attending to before we got on the plane. I kissed her when we reached the first floor and she had to go to Alice's room. "Later though."

"I'm holding you to that, Mr. Cullen." She giggled.

"Same here, Mrs. Cullen." I kissed her gently again before climbing the second set of stairs that led to my bedroom. I was never going to tire of calling her that.

I walked into my bedroom and changed quickly. I knew that Alice wouldn't be bluffing when it came to her coming to get us if we weren't back down in time.

I took off my suit and laid it down on the bed, knowing that I would have hell to pay if there was anything wrong with it when Alice picked it up. I looked at what she had given me. Thankfully she had given me comfy clothes to wear for the flight. I hated to think what was in my suitcase though. We had an itinerary for the two weeks. A couple of things, like meals out and stuff like that that had been planned. I guess it was a precaution just to get us out of the hotel room at least a few times while we were there.

Alice had given me a pair of loose fitting jeans and a white button down shirt. She had also given me a light jacket to wear. I knew that she had prepared for temperatures both here and in Chicago. They wouldn't be too different I didn't think. Well, what did I know? Alice was the buff at everything fashion orientated. The rest of us just wore what we were told to, unless we wanted to face the pixie wrath.

I walked down the stairs to see Bella wearing the same outfit as me and we both grinned.

"I guess we'd better get used to matching, huh?" She commented as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I guess so." I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. I still couldn't believe that this beautiful, amazing woman was my wife. I was the luckiest guy in the world. I know everyone says that, but I actually am. If it wasn't for her, then I probably wouldn't be here right now.

I released Bella, still keeping one arm around her waist as we walked back out into the garden. Everyone was still in the gazebo and Alice ran up to us smiling as we approached.

"Hmm, one minute to spare." She grinned. "Nice timing."

"Thanks, Alice." I leaned in to hug her. "For everything." I whispered in her ear as she hugged me back.

"No problem big brother." She whispered back. I think that she was surprised at the fact I had initiated the hug. I didn't care. Today all problems, fears and inhibitions were being shoved to the back of my mind.

"Bouqet!" Rosalie shouted, handing it to Bella, who in turn blushed. "Come on, you gotta throw it!"

I let go of Bella and stepped away from her as she turned around, her back facing everyone gathered there. She threw the bouqet and turned around.

We both laughed as it hit Alice, who wasn't paying attention, in the head. She looked at what had just hit her and grinned at the two of us. I took Bella back into my arms as everyone clapped for us.

Carlisle would be driving us to the airport in his Mercedes, as we didn't want to have to leave my Volvo in the parking lot over the two weeks.

We climbed into the car and Bella snuggled into my arms. I sighed and kissed the top of her head as we pulled out of the driveway, watching the waving hands disappear. I looked at Bella and in that moment, I saw my whole future. I would spend it with this woman. She was my life now.

I had done something that I had always thought would evade me forever. Something that I thought I would never be able to do.

I had married the woman I love.

And I wasn't letting her go.

**Next chappie, the two of them arriving in Chicago :P  
It's gonna be good.  
I'm not sure how lemon filled the honeymoon is going to be btw, so, meh, it might be full of them, or their might only be one or two. I haven't decided yet.  
Please review.  
xx**


	39. First Day

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

Getting onto the plane and strapping myself in, I began to relax. I was still waiting to wake up and still be in the hospital from before we moved to Forks, the memories of this dream taunting me into believing that it had been real. But after Bella and I had gotten comfortable, it began to sink in.

I was married.

I was eighteen and married to the most wonderous woman on the planet. She was the only thing I needed to get me through anything. I would never get her go.

But I had to.

At the end of the summer, she was being forced to leave. To go back to Arizona with her mother. I had asked Carlisle if there was any way to get around it, and even though he had tried his hardest to get around the custody arrangement, he had come up empty.

Every little thing he had tried had proven to be a dead end. I would have to say goodbye to her come the end of August. The only comfort I derived from that was the knowledge that she was mine forever. Not even Renee could split us up now. However she may try, we had gained permission from Charlie, and we had the marriage certificate to prove it, so that proved everything was legal and binding.

I shook my head, banishing all those thoughts of the end of the summer out of my mind, causing Bella to give me a strange look. I smiled at her and gave her a swift kiss which wiped the strange look off her face and replaced it with a goofy smile in an instant.

We unstrapped ourselves as soon as the seatbelt sign flashed off and I wrapped my arm around Bella's shoulder as she gazed out the window. I kissed the top of her head and she sighed, resting her head on my chest. I could sit like this forever and not get bored. Nothing that I did with Bella would be of no interest to me. Even if we were just sitting around doing nothing, the time I spent with Bella was precious to me and I wanted to remember every single momeny of it.

"Good evening," A voice called above my head softly. "Is there anything that I can get for you?"

I looked up to see an air hostess smiling down at me. I noticed that she didn't take any notice of Bella and that annoyed me. She seemed to completely disregard Bella's prescence at all.

I turned to look at Bella, making a point of kissing the top of her head to gain her attention. "Do you want anything love?" I asked and Bella lifted her head up to look at the hostess, shooting her a glare before considering the question. I chuckled at Bella's blatant performance of possessiveness over me.

"Um, some coffe would be nice." She asked, smiling sweetly, obviously enjoying aggravating the hostess.

I turned to look back at the hostess, who was now glaring at Bella. "Some coffee and an ice water please."

She turned back to look at me and smiled in what I guessed was supposed to be a seductive way. Or at least in her mind it must have been. Personally, I found it creepy. "Right away, sir." She batted her eyelashes at me before walking away.

"Skank." Bella muttered under her breath, resting her head back on my chest. I laughed at her response and she looked up at me. "What?"

"You're so cute when you're possessive." I told her, kissing the end of her nose gently.

"Well, you mine." She argued, wrapping her arms around my waist protectively. "You're my husband and I'm not sharing you with anybody."

"You know," I sighed. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to hearing you say that."

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to saying it." She mumbled, sighing into my chest again. This, I could do forever. And I would make sure that I did.

I sat there and gazed out of the window, running my hand gently through her hair. I could tell that she was tired. We had just had a long day, the best day of my life, but it was still long, and I didn't know how far away the hotel was from the airport. Even though I had lived in Chicago for most of my life, I didn't feel any need to know facts like that. I never thought that I would be staying in a place like the Plaza Hotel. It was something that had never crossed my mind.

I knew that we had a flight of around four hours ahead of us so she would be able to get a little sleep then, but I knew that she would be all the grumpier when she woke up. Not something I was looking forward to, but then again, maybe the thought of being in Chicago, on our honeymoon was something that would get her hopes up again.

"Your coffee and water, sir." The hostess was back with a tray that had a pot of coffee with a mug and a glass of ice water on it. She was smiling at me expectantly. I wasn't sure what she was after but I wanted to make sure that she didn't get the wrong idea.

"The coffee is for my wife thank you very much." I saw her expression darken when she heard the word "wife" come out of my mouth. She looked at Bella with an obvious scowl on her face and placed the tray on the small table in front of her.

"If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask." She said, looking at me again. "_Anything_ at all." She winked at me before she turned around. I was left feeling slightly more than freaked out.

"What is it with people nowadays?" Bella sounded annoyed now. "I mean you just made it blatantly obvious that you're married and she still tries it on."

"They could have better staff in first class don't you think." I stated looking back at Bella, who was now pouring herself a cup of coffee. I picked up my ice water and took a sip.

"You just get hit on by the creepy hostess too?" I looked to my right and saw a boy about my age sitting there, grinning at me. He had jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. I nodded and his grin widened. "Taylor." He held out his hand and I went against what my mind was screaming at me to do, and shook his hand not wanting to be rude.

"Edward." I smiled at him. "This is Bella." At the sound of her name, Bella turned around and smiled at Taylor, indicating that she would shake his hand if it wasn't for the coffee she was holding.

"Hi, Bella." He indicated a sleeping girl next to him, her head lying on his chest. "This is Brandi." He pointed towards the direction the hostess had gone. "Bit upfront isn't she?"

I nodded. "Even after I pretty much told her that I'm married, she still tries it on."

"Are you really married or was that just a ploy?" He raised his eyebrows at the two of us skeptically. "'Cause I mean, you both look, what? Eighteen?" We both held up our left hands and his gaze fell on the matching platinum bands that rested on our fingers. He let out a low whistle. "Wow, don't take this the wrong way, but you wouldn't be the first who's used that ploy."

"What, on her?" I pointed in the same direction he had a moment ago.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Probably." I laughed along with him, hearing Bella giggling beside me. Unfortunately, his laughter woke up the girl who was sleeping against him. "I'm sorry baby." He cooed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Did I wake you up?"

"Yes." She mumbled, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand. "What are you laughing at?" She sounded a bit dazed and confused even though she couldn't have been asleep for more than half an hour at the most.

"The hostess." He said plainly and her expression darkened causing me to chuckle. I looked at Bella and saw that her expression had darkened to match Brandi's and I grinned at her reaction to the mention of the hostess.

I leaned over to Taylor and indicated the two girls. "You reckon we got some possessive girls?"

He looked between the two of them, grinning at what he saw and nodded. "Yeah, I think so." I could hear the laughter in his voice. "Wouldn't have them any other way though, would you?"

I shook my head. "Nope." I popped the "p" on the end, before I turned and kissed Bella gently on the cheek, drawing her out of her daydream, most probably imagining how best to destroy the hostess. "Hey," I whispered, gaining her attention. "There's no need to be like that. I married _you_ and I love you, only you. You really think that a cheap air hostess can really compete with you?" She shrugged at smiled at me sheepishly. I responded by pressing my lips to hers in a lingering kiss. She relaxed slightly and smiled at me. "That give you your answer?" She nodded before pressing her lips to mine again, a little more forcefully than before. I chuckled at her enthusiasm before breaking the kiss. "I don't think that the rest of the plane wants to see our little PDA." She scowled at me before resting her head on my chest again.

I looked over at the other two and saw that Taylor was doing the exact same thing that I just had. I looked at him and he grinned as Brandi laid her head down on his chest.

"How come you're going to Chicago?" He asked, before kissing Brandi on the head.

"Honeymoon. You?"

"Visiting family." He sounded a bit depressed at having to do that.

"How come you sound so down at that?" I asked him, wondering how someone could feel down about visiting family. Unless, like Bella they're being forced to leave.

"I don't know." He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. "I just don't really get on with my family you know. It's kind of this reunion thing that we've got. You know, staying at a big hotel and all that. My aunt organises it every year, and she doesn't approve of Brandi because of the fact that we come from big money and she doesn't. I just don't get why she cares."

"I can imagine." I looked at Bella who had closed her eyes and was dozing peacefully on my chest. "Why should she care so much?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "My parents absolutely love her. She's the only girlfriend I've ever had that's been interested in _me_ rather than my money. And I just don't get what my aunts problem is, you know? She goes out of her way to single her out and I'm getting sick of it."

"Why don't you tell her that?" I asked him. I had seen this before. With my brothers. Some of the girls they had dated in the past made out like they wanted them for them, but in reality all they were after was the chance to spend some of the Cullen fortune. Thankfully, they had gotten rid of them before they had the chance to.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I think I might." He turned to look at me and smiled when he saw Bella sleeping on my chest. She had begun to mumble slightly so I knew she was asleep. "Is she really asleep or is she listening to our conversation."

"She's asleep." I kissed the top of her head and she smiled against my chest. "She's a sleep-talker so I know when she's asleep."

"She talking yet?" He sounded intrigued. I nodded. "What she said?"

"Nothing much, just mumbles. I'll wake her up before she says anything X-Rated though. As that is normally what comes out." I grinned at him and he laughed slightly, being careful not to wake Brandi up.

"Aw, come on, I wanna hear." I shook my head and he frowned. "Why not?"

"Because I don't think the rest of the plane wants to hear Bella's dreams. Especially when they have the content that they tend to." He seemed to get the message as his lips formed a slight "oh" shape and I chuckled.

"What hotel you staying in?" He asked, taking a sip of a soda that he had in front of him.

"The Crowne Plaza Hotel. You?" I saw his jaw drop.

"That's so weird." He looked dumbfounded. I raised my eyebrows, and he closed his mouth before continuing. "That's where we're staying. You know what room? They usually send that through to you beforehand."

"We have the top floor suite." I told him and his eyes went wide.

"So you're the ones who booked that suite." His eyes narrowed evilly. "My aunt always books that suite for when we're here. She's been trying to get them to rearrange it for the last two weeks, but they're not budging. It's been quite amusing actually."

"Really?" I couldn't help but laugh. I didn't even know the woman but I found it amusing.

Taylor and I sat there and talked for pretty much most of the flight. I found out that he was originally from Chicago, but had moved to Seattle a few years ago, due to his father's job. I discovered that he had two sisters and a brother, of which he was the youngest. He said that it was great because they had all moved out so he pretty much had the house to himself. He told me how he had met Brandi and I had found out that they had been together for almost two years.

In turn, I told him about how I had met Bella and everything that we had been through. I didn't include the fact that I had been in a clinic for eating disorders but I told him about the heart attack that I had suffered, going with the story that I had had a weak heart from birth and too much stress had caused it to go into overdrive. He seemed to buy it and noted that it was a sore subject for me, so he let it drop. I told him all about our engagement and our wedding. He seemed really interested and he told me how he knew that Brandi was the girl for him and that he was going to marry her. I couldn't help but smile at him as he looked at his girlfriend. I knew that was the same expression I wore when I looked at my wife.

That still sounded strange and wonderful at the same time.

Even though, in reality I had only known Taylor for a handful of hours, he was really easy to talk to, and I thought about how he was someone that I would like to get to know a bit better. He seemed like a fairly decent guy.

I nudged Bella awake as we started our descent and the seatbelt sign flashed at us. She scowled at me and told me that I had interrupted a "very nice" dream as she put it, with a wink and I felt a grin spread across my face. Looks like that's on the agenda for tonight, but then again, that's what a honeymoon is for after all.

"Hey, have you got transport when we land?" I asked Taylor and he shrugged as Brandi rubbed sleep out of her eyes in the same fashion as Bella.

"We'll probably just grab a cab to the hotel." He said, strapping himself in.

"Well, we've got a car picking us up at the other end, so if you want, you can ride with us." I offered.

"Are you sure?" He sounded skeptical.

"Yeah, there's no point in you getting a cab when we're going to the same place." I reasoned and he looked at Brandi, who shrugged and smiled at me gratefully, before he turned around and accepted my offer.

"You're too nice for your own good." Bella mumbled against my shoulder. She kissed my lower jaw gently and sighed.

She held onto my hand tightly as we touched down. I looked over and saw that she had her eyes shut tightly and her knuckles where white. I brought her knuckles to my lips and kissed each one of them gently. She relaxed slightly and opened her eyes.

"Not a fan of landings?" I asked and she shook her head, blushing furiously. I kissed her cheek and she smiled at me as we rolled to a stop.

We waited until we were told that we could disembark and then began to gather up our belongings. After getting off the plane we walked around and got all of our paperwork and everything checked. When we were waiting for our baggage, we met up with Taylor and Brandi again.

"Are you sure about this?" Taylor asked for the hundredth time. "I mean, we can get a cab if you want."

"How many times?" I sighed, looking at him, letting him know that there was no way I was letting him get a cab when we were going to the same place. I might have only just met him, but still, there was no point. "You're coming with us, unless you see someone standing there with your name on a board alright. What's the point of you getting a cab to the very hotel that we're going to? I mean, there's a chance that you'll even follow our car, so, you might as well."

He shrugged, resigning himself to the fact that he wasn't going to win.

After we collected our bags we walked around to the collections area of the airport.

"There." Bella said pointing towards a man that had a board saying _Cullen_ on it. I smiled at her and we walked towards the man, who smiled at us. We gestured for Taylor and Brandi to follow us and they did, slowly, not really trusting that we were being genuine with them. I laughed as they gingerly placed their bags into the trunk. I explained to the driver that it would have been just Bella and myself, but we thought that as we were going to the same place we might as well give them a ride.

He didn't seem too put out by this and allowed them to ride with us. Well, seeing as he was hired to drive Bella and myself around for the next two weeks, he really didn't have a choice. Even so, I thought that it was best to say something first.

When we pulled up to the hotel, we saw that it was larger than I remembered. Maybe they'd added onto it in the last year or so, but I resigned myself to thinking that it was just because I didn't remember clearly.

When we walked into the reception, we were met by a woman making a bit of a scene about a room. Bella and I looked at each other and smirked, walking up to the desk. I looked at the woman and heard her complaining about the fact that she had been denied some room that she was after.

"Name, please." The man behind the desk asked me. His eyes flicked to Bella but he didn't do anything when he saw our intertwined hands on the desk.

"Cullen." I stated and he grinned, recognising the name.

"Ah, Mr. Cullen. You are booked into the Presidential Suite on the top floor." He registered our arrival and handed us our room keys along with a list of ammenities that the hotel provided and our booking details. "I hope you enjoy your stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel."

"Thank you." I turned to walk towards the elevator but I found the woman that had been arguing at the desk standing in front of me glaring.

"So, the reason I can't have my usual suite is because it's been booked for two measly kids?" She scoffed in disbelief.

"Excuse me?" I asked her, not really believing what she was saying. "What did you just say?"

"That suite should be mine." She stepped towards me, but if she thought that she was going to get the suite because she was older than I was, then she had another thing coming. "I have that suite, for this week every year. They should have known that it's not to be booked out this week."

"Well, I'm sorry, but my father has paid a lot of money for this suite, so if you don't mind, I think that my wife and I are going to go and enjoy it." I told her with a smile. "Now if you don't mind."

I wrapped my arm around Bella's waist and we walked around the annoying woman. I smirked at the look of disbelief that was spread across her face. I would bet anything that she hadn't been spoken to like that before.

The hotel staff were already making their way upstairs with our bags as soon as they were aware of what room we were in, so we didn't have to worry about that.

Bella started to giggle as I swiped the room key across a scanner that allowed us into the elevator that took us up to the Presidential Suite. I think the elevator itself was larger than my bathroom at home. It was huge. If this was the size of the elevator up to the Presidential Suite, then I couldn't help but wonder about the size of the actual suite.

"You know, you putting that woman in her place, was so hot." She giggled, flushing a slight pink.

I raised my eyebrows at her and she giggled again. "Really?" The next thing I knew was she had pushed me up against the wall of the elevator and crushed her lips to mine. I felt her tongue flick against my bottom lip and I parted my lips before I instantaneously felt her tongue slide into my mouth, caressing mine in her own.

"You know," I mumbled or at least tried to against her lips. "They have CCTV in these things." She nodded, indicating that she knew, but didn't care.

The elevator dinged and we broke apart so that we could see the suite. Not that I really cared about the suite at the moment. I had a little problem, courtesy of Bella, that needed seeing to, so the exploration of the suite would have to wait until later on.

Without warning her, I picked her up bridal style and carried her into the suite. She squealed and kicked around for a moment, before she realised that I wasn't going to let her go. I noticed that our bags weren't in the main living area, so I reasoned that they were in the bedroom. I walked towards the only door there was, reasoning that it must be the bedroom, and I was glad to see that I was right.

Bella seemed to know what train of thought I was taking as she pressed her lips to mine in an intense kiss as I kicked the door closed. She didn't even wait until I had put her down on the bed before she had started to unbutton my shirt.

I eased my tongue into her mouth as I unbuttoned her shirt and slid it off her arms, whilst she did the same with mine.

I had never felt so right in a situation as I did making love to Bella for the first time as husband and wife.

Everything was perfect.

**Well, they've had a good start to their honeymoon haven't they ;P  
Now the question is, will they actually leave their suite at all?  
Please review.  
xx**


	40. AN

**I know I've got like 20 stories on the go at the moment – okay an exaggeration, but you get the picture – but I've had this story running around in my head for a couple of weeks now and I've actually got the first couple of chapters written.**

**Here's the summary for it:**

**Edward is **_**the**_** ultimate vampire. The original. The one from whom the vampire race was born. So powerful that even the Volturi fear his presence. For millenia he has been the true ruler of the vampire race, with the Volturi as the ones carrying out his wishes, no matter what they are. What happens when a visit to the Volturi alerts Edward to their concerns about the Cullens, and he decides to pay a visit to the quiet Olympic coven? Will Edward see them as a threat to the world he's spent millenia molding, or will he leave them and allow them to carry out their lives in peace?**

**Now my question to you all is: do I post it?**

**Or are you all getting bored of my stories?**

**It's up to you.**


	41. It's Up!

**For all of you who encouraged me to post it, which to be fair was pretty much everybody, the first chapter of my new story is up.**

**Link: www[dot]fanfiction[dot]net/s/5023928/1/Eternally_Damned**

**or if that doesn't work, you can just click through to my profile and it'll be on there.**

**That's all I'm going to put up of it tonight, as I want to see the response to it before I do anymore.**

**Alive Again and Protecting Him will be updated tomorrow as well, for all of you who are waiting for them. :D**


	42. Reminiscing

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

I woke up, lying next to Bella, her legs entangled in mine and I had never felt so content.

Here I was, lying in the embrace of my wife.

My naked wife at that.

Memories of the last few days flitted through my mind and I reasoned that they were the best of my entire life. Nothing would ever top those few days. I finally had the one woman I wanted. The one and only woman that I would love forever.

Turning on my side to face her, I brushed a few hairs out of her face and marvelled at how beautiful she was when she slept. I wrapped an arm around her waist and her head tucked itself underneath my chin. I smiled at the reaction I got from her when holding her close to me. It almost seemed as though she wanted to be as close to me as I did to her.

As I sighed and closed my eyes again, I felt her lips press against my collarbone gently. I looked down at her to see her smiling up at me. She brought herself up and pressed her lips to mine. I let out a slight yelp as she flipped me onto my back without breaking the kiss. I felt her giggle into my mouth as she deepened the kiss even more and slid her tongue into my mouth.

"Not tired yet?" I asked her, mumbling against her lips.

"Of you, Mr. Cullen? Never." She whispered, running her hands up and down my torso.

"Fair enough." I mumbled, and I turned the tables, flipping her over so that she was the one on her back. She giggled as she pressed kisses on my neck and chest. I ran my hands up her torso and brushed my fingers over her breasts gently. I felt her nipples stiffen underneath my touch and I smiled to myself, knowing exactly what it was she was after. And I wasn't about to complain.

I pressed kisses to her jaw and ran them down her throat, and latched my mouth onto her left breast, teasing the other one with my hand. I heard her gasp as I bit down gently on her incredibly stiff nipple and I smiled internally, knowing that was something she liked. I teased her nipple with my tongue and teeth, revelling in the sounds that she was making with each and every flick or nip.

Attaching my lips back onto hers I gently slid into her, not wanting to hurt her, and she bucked her hips into me, forcing me deeper within her. We quickly fell into a rhythm trying to drink in as much of each other as we possibly could. If last nights experience was sweet and full of love and passion this was fueled by need and want. Not that either of us were complaining, we were both fueling it.

I felt her muscles tightening around me as she reached her climax at the same moment I released into her. I slid out of her and we curled up in each others embrace, smiling at each other, peppering the other with tiny little kisses, that spoke volumes.

"Well, that's a way to wake up." She grinned at me and I smiled nodding.

"Can wake up that way everyday, if you want." I kissed her gently on the lips and I felt her grin.

"Is that a promise?" She asked, her eyes glinting.

"Only if you want it." I smirked at her and she pressed a kiss to my jaw, earning a moan from me. I heard her giggle and she knew that she had me beat.

"I definitely want it." She smiled pulling away from me. She slid out of the bed so fast that I didn't have time to catch her. But then again I wasn't really complaining. After all she was standing in front of me, completely naked, so there wasn't really much to make a fuss about. She blushed and started to cover herself up, but I sat up and stopped her.

"Don't." I told her, pressing kisses to her stomach and up the gentle hollow that lay in between her breasts. "You're beautiful. Don't cover yourself up."

She giggled and pressed her lips to mine before snaking out of my grasp again. I sat on the bed and pouted at her. She grabbed the two bathrobes that were in the en suite and threw one at me.

"Come on," She called, wrapping her robe around her and skipping out of the room.

I threw my robe on and tied it, before I climbed out of the bed, following her into the main living area of the suite.

"Now, do we order room service or do we go downstairs for breakfast?" She asked as I walked up behind her and pressed my lips to the back of her neck. "Okay, so I think I know your answer, so I think we should go downstairs for breakfast, because otherwise, we're never going to leave the room."

"And is that such a problem?" I asked her, blowing a gentle stream of air on the back of her neck, causing her to shiver.

"Well, I want to see the city." She turned around to face me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I mean, you did grow up here. I want to see things, like your old school, where you used to live, your old hangouts and stuff like that."

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows at her. Personally, I would have preferred to stay in the room, but it seemed as though I wasn't going to get what I wanted today. She nodded and I had no choice but to oblige. "Fair enough."

I released her and she bounded back into the bedroom. I looked around the living area and saw that it could give my home a run for its money. No wonder that woman from yesterday was after this room as badly as she was.

I walked into the bedroom and heard the shower running in the en suite and I took the time to look out of the window at the city that I had left behind not even a year ago. Looking out over it, I realised that in some ways I had missed it, but in others I was glad to see the back of it. I had missed the buildings, the feel of the city. The feeling of being surrounded by such large structures. It unnerved a lot of people, but I had found it oddly comforting. In the beginning, I had been wary of the large expanse of Forks, but lately, I had come to love it. Especially a certain meadow that had crept its way to number one on my favourite places list.

No, it was the people in Chicago that bothered me. That was the one thing about Chicago that I hadn't missed. They had all known that there was something wrong with me. I didn't know if they knew exactly what was wrong but they knew I wasn't normal, and I hadn't been able to live in peace for a lot of my high school time here. I didn't really want to show Bella around, but I could tell that she was really excited about being in the city where I grew up.

And after all, facing my fears and my demons was a part of my therapy wasn't it.

Remembering that, I rummaged through one of my bags and found the small pot of medication that Alice had remembered to pack for me. I opened the pot and shook one out onto my hand. Replacing the lid, I put the pot back in the back and wandered back through into the kitchen aread of the suite. Pouring myself a glass of the water I swallowed the pill and drained the glass of water.

Walking back into the bedroom , I saw Bella standing there in a towel that barely covered…well, anything really and I smiled, wrapping my arms around her. I kissed the back of her neck before I walked into the bathroom and stepped in the shower myself.

I let the hot water run over my body as I washed myself clean, and let my muscles relax. I noted that Bella had already placed both of our shampoos, conditioners, and body washes in here, in preparation for our two week stay. I smiled at the thought as I grabbed my bodywash. I wasn't going to bother washing my hair as it didn't need washing as often as Bella's did.

After I had deemed myself clean enough I stepped out of the shower, dried myself and shaved quickly before I walked out into the bedroom to get dressed.

I sighed and made my way into the bedroom to see Bella standing there in a matching set of black lace panties and bra. I stood there and appraised my wife momentarily before she noticed I was there.

"It's not nice to stare you know." She said, smiling smugly as she picked up a brush and started to brush her hair out.

"I don't care." I stated walking over to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and burying my nose in her hair. "When you're wife is as perfect as mine is then I think you're allowed to stare."

She huffed and turned around to kiss me softly. "Okay, then, but I get to stare at you whenever I like."

"Deal." I nodded and she grinned at me.

"Come on, we need to get dressed." She pulled away from me and dug through her suitcase looking for something to wear.

In turn I opened my own suitcase and saw that Alice separated it out into casual daywear and eveningwear. Thankfully none of it was too formal so I didn't worry about us having to go anywhere that was too classy. I wasn't sure how we would fit in in a place like that. After all we were still just teenagers. Looking out the window, seeing that it was sunny outside, I pulled out a white button down shirt and some comfy looking jeans. Pairing that with some sneakers that Alice had packed – brand new ones of course – I was ready to go.

I turned to look at Bella and saw that she was wearing a light pink camisole, with a white shirt hanging open over the top. She was also wearing jeans and some brand-new looking sneakers that Alice must have put in there for her.

I looked between the two of us and chuckled. Bella looked at me confused so I gestured between the two of us and she giggled, blushing slightly. This was obviously part of Alice's plan. To get us to look the same. It was cute, but weird as well. I think she may have been thinking stepford-couple here. Sorry, Alice that wasn't going to happen.

We left the suite, walking into the same elevator at yesterday. I looked at Bella and she blushed again, remembering our little excursion in the elevator yesterday. I smiled and kissed her forehead gently as we descended to the main reception area of the hotel.

Making our way through the reception we walked over to the hotels resturant, to find that they were still serving breakfast. Something that made Bella and I smile widely at each other.

After we were seated, we sat there and stared at each other, you know, like they do in the movies. I know it seems corny and weird, but it felt right. There was no need for words, and being honest I think they would have spoiled the whole feeling of the moment.

We both ordered pancakes, the only difference was that Bella went for chocolate chip and I asked for blueberry. I was amazed that they would actually serve chocolate chip pancakes in a hotel like this, but then again, goes to show how much I know doesn't it.

Our drinks arrived first. Bella's coffee and my camomile tea. She smiled as she breathed in the aroma of her coffee and I couldn't help but grin.

"What?" She asked, indignantly.

"Nothing." I said innocently, drinking a mouthful of my tea. "Nothing at all."

"Are you laughing at me, Mr. Cullen?" She put her coffee down and leaned across the table slightly, giving me a very nice view down her top, if I do say so myself. From the look in her eye I had a feeling that she knew that as well. She was teasing me, and she knew it. Maybe that was why she had chosen to wear black underwear with a pink top and shirt. She was sneaky. She'd learned well.

"Not at all, Mrs. Cullen." I smiled at her and I saw her eyes light up as our food approached.

We ate in silence, catching each others' eye at random times and laughing. It felt like we were on our first date or something, not married. I liked it. Bella and I hadn't really been able to go through that stage in our relationship, and even though I wouldn't change anything that had happened – well, maybe one or two things – it would have been nice to be regular teenagers dating.

We stood up after we'd finished our meal, knowing that the price of it would be attached to the price of the hotel at the end of our trip.

We walked out of the hotel, hand in hand and stopped in the sunshine. Sunshine was almost as irregular in Chicago as it was in Forks and I was amazed that it was this bright.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked her and she thought for a moment, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand as she looked up at me.

"I want to see your old school." She said softly, leaning her head on my shoulder. I nodded and hailed a cab, knowing that it would be too far of a walk for us to take.

We rode in silence, Bella leaning on my arm, sighing softly every few minutes. I could tell that she was as content as I was and I ran my hand through her hair gently. After a moment or two her eyes fluttered closed and she smiled at my touch. It seemed that every little thing this woman did, I fell in love with her even more than before.

I pay the cab driver when we approached the school and got out of the car, helping Bella out as she gazed at the school. I had to admit it was enormous.

"Wow." She whispered, taking in the sight. "This beats even my old school in Phoenix."

I smiled at her enthusiasm but I didn't really feel her sentiment towards the school. The two years that I had spent here were not the best years of my life and I didn't really want to revisit them.

"Is there any way for us to get inside?" She asked and I shook my head. The whole school was generally blocked off over the summer. Many people that I knew of had tried to get into the school over various summers but had failed.

"It's completely locked up and there's CCTV all over the place." I told her and I saw her face drop. She had really wanted to see the school, hadn't she? Why I had no idea. "Why so glum? It's just a school."

"I know, but it's a part of your past and I wanted to see it." She smiled up at me and I pressed my lips to hers.

"Come on, I've got something better to show you." I grabbed her hand and walked away from the school. I could hear her protesting and asking where it was that we were going, but I didn't tell her. We walked for a few blocks before I stopped and turned to face a moderately sized detached house.

"What are we doing here?" She asked, confused.

"This," I said, indicating the house. "Is where we Cullen's used to live." I looked down at her and I saw her face light up in a smile. "Come on." I walked up to the door and took the key out of my pocket.

Carlisle and Esme still owned the house and Carlisle had given me a key so that I could show it to Bella on our trip. He had somehow known that she would want to see it, and had told me to take her to the house.

I opened the door and gestured for her to go in. She did so with a smile on her face.

It seemed so strange being inside the house. It was familiar and yet foreign. I remembered everything that had happened in this house. I remembered the celebrations and parties, the fights and screaming matches that had occurred. This house held an abundance of memories for me, starting from when I first walked through the door, to that final morning after I had tried to end my own life.

"This place is incredible." I heard her whisper as she looked around, her eyes wide. "This was really your home when you lived in Chicago?" I nodded and smiled at her reaction. The house was big, not as big as our house in Forks, but when you take into account the space that was given in the city, it was still pretty big.

We walked through all the rooms and I told her which belonged to who. She wasn't surprised to see that the second largest room belonged to Alice. For such a little person she was really forceful when it came to things that she wanted.

When we got to my room she walked inside without hesitation. "This was your room?" She asked and I nodded. She gazed around and walked over to the window. I looked at the floor and saw that the stain from where I had bled on the carpet was still there. Just being in this room brought back some painful memories, but seeing Bella's reaction to my room caused those feelings to vanish almost instantly. "This view is incredible." She looked at me and I nodded, walking over to join her.

She hadn't noticed the view on the carpet and I really didn't want her to. We walked around the house once more, as she drank in every inch of it. I couldn't help but smile at her as she gazed around.

We walked outside and I locked up the house again, taking her hand in my own as we walked down the path and back onto the street.

"How come Carlisle and Esme never sold it?" She asked and I shook my head.

"I don't know." I told her truthfully. "They never told us why they didn't. Have to ask them when we get back." She nodded triumphantly.

We strolled down the street, arm in arm, laughing and joking. This was something that I'd never thought I'd have, especially in Chicago. Even though a lot of people would see that its my home, I had a lot of bad memories here. Memories that I needed to learn to put behind me. Along with something else I needed to put into the past, but that was something I needed to do on my own, and no matter how much Bella and I wanted her to be there with me, she just couldn't. I needed to be on my own for this particular task.

"Edward Masen?" I heard a voice call me.

I turned around to see a face that I hadn't seen in ten years.

So why did I have to see it now?

**So, who's Edward and Bella run into?  
Have to read next chapter to find out :P Cos I'm mean like that :D  
Please review.  
xx**


	43. Saying Goodbye

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

"_Edward Masen?" I heard a voice call me._

_I turned around to see a face that I hadn't seen in ten years._

_So why did I have to see it now?_

Turning around I saw a face that brought back so many memories that I thought I had worked through with Derek after eight months of therapy. Seeing it now, I realised that I still had a lot more work to do.

"Jeez, man, is that you?"

Alex Johnston.

The last day I had seen him was ……… the day my parents died.

"Yeah," I replied, my voice wavering slightly. Bella seemed to notice my distress and tightened her hold on my arm ever so slightly. I looked down at her and gave her a small smile.

"Wow, man!" He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked relatively the same as he had when we were seven, obviously a lot taller and more grown up, but his features were pretty much the same. He still had that small boyish look about him, and something tells me that he always would. "Edward Masen. It's been what? How long?"

"Ten years." I replied, quietly. "And it's Cullen now."

"What?" He seemed confused.

"It's _Cullen_ now." I repeated. His confused expression didn't leave his face. "I was adopted after……"

His mouth formed into a small "oh" as he realised what I was talking about. I nodded sadly and I felt Bella rest her head against my upper arm.

"Yeah, I, um, I heard about that." He looked down at the ground, not really knowing what to say or where to look. "I'm sorry, man."

"Don't worry about it." I replied quietly.

"How can I not?" He looked back up at me. "I mean, if I hadn't started that stupid play-fight thing, then they wouldn't have had to come into school and they would be-"

"Alex," I held my hand up to stop him. "Don't. Please. Just don't." I didn't look at him, knowing that I wouldn't be able to control my feelings if I did.

I didn't know how I felt towards Alex now. I had dealt with my feelings towards my parents death but I guess I had never really given much thought to what had happened before. I had blocked out what had happened through most of that day. I hadn't been strong or brave enough to face them. At least until I had met Bella. She had been the first person that I had told about it, and after that. I hadn't really been able to hold anything in after that. All that therapy hadn't been able to prepare me for seeing Alex again.

"I'm sorry, man." He mumbled. "I just…I don't know what to say or to think. It's just…"

"I know." I whispered. I looked down at Bella and saw that she had a sad expression on her face. I placed a finger underneath her chin and lifted her face up so she could look at me. I gave her a small smile and she gave me one back. I didn't like seeing her upset and I hated it even more knowing that she was upset because of me. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Are you kidding?" He laughed. "With_ that_ hair! Who else could it be? It's not changed since we were kids."

"I guess you're right." I smiled at him. He was right. The colour of my hair was pretty noticeable. Not everyday you see someone with _bronze_ hair wandering around, is it?

"So, um, who's your friend?" Alex sounded unsure of himself now. Which was a huge change from when we were kids.

"This is Bella." I smiled. "She's my wife."

His eyes grew wide. "Your wife?" He sounded shocked in thinking that I would get married this young. "Wow." His eyes flicked between Bella and myself. I looked at Bella and I smiled seeing her eyes glinting happily. She beamed up at me and I kissed her on the forehead lightly. "I would never have thought you would be one to get married at eighteen. When I last saw you you were so ……"

"We were seven." I pointed out and he nodded. "How could we know what we were going to end up doing? Yeah, we might be young but, I wouldn't change anything. I have all I could ever want."

"I'm glad to hear that." He truly sounded glad for me. "So, um, how have you been? "

"I've been good." I nodded. "I, um, live in Washington now."

"Washington?" His eyes grew wide again. "How come you're living there?"

"Esme, my adopted mother, she……she got tired of living in the city. She wanted the small town life so we all packed up and left." I explained and he nodded.

"We all?"

"Yeah." I sighed. "My adopted family. You know, Mom, Dad, two brothers, two sisters. Whole package deal."

"Two of each huh?" He chuckled. "You always said you wanted a bigger family."

I nodded. "I wouldn't change them for the world, but it would have been nicer if it were under better circumstances, you know?" He nodded. "So…what's new with you?"

"Not much really." He ran a hand through his hair. "My mom had twins. They're ten now. They're the most annoying pair you have ever met. You know with the whole I don't know…"

"The whole finishing each others sentences and secret languages thing?" I finished for him and he looked up at me, confused again. "Jasper and Rosalie, two of my adopted siblings…they're twins."

"Oh, okay then." He grinned at me. "So, how did the two of you meet?"

"At school, actually." I smiled at Bella and she rested her head back on my shoulder, sighing softly. "She was the only girl with half a brain who showed any interest."

"Hey!" She tapped my arm lightly, mocking hurt. "I have more than half a brain thank you very much."

"I know you do, love." I kissed the top of her head gently. I heard Alex chuckling at the two of us.

"You really are under whipped aren't you Edward?" He asked, still chuckling.

I looked between him and Bella smiling. I nodded. "Yup. And I don't care." I kissed her forehead. "You know, I would prefer to be whipped, than not have her at all."

"I guess I see your point." He shook his head, still smiling. His expression suddenly got serious as he looked at me. "I really am sorry Edward."

"Don't, Alex, please. I don't need this now." I shook my head, pleading with him to stop. He seemed to get my meaning and stopped before he said anything further. "Anyway, we, um, kind need to get going."

"Okay, then." He pulled a small card out of his pocket. "Here's my number. If you wanted to get together at any point while you're back in town, gimme a call."

I took the card and nodded. I said goodbye to him and Bella and I hailed a cab that was coming down the street. As we climbed in I told the driver to take us back to the hotel and sank back into the seat, letting out a breath.

"Are you okay?" Bella whispered, shifting over to lay her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I sighed, gazing out of the window, entangling her fingers in mine. "I just…wasn't expecting to see him again."

"I could see that." She sighed and settled, leaning against me, seeming to get lost in her own little world, just as I was doing.

I had to put this whole thing behind me. I had to let it all go. I wouldn't be able to go back to Forks and start my life over with Bella if I didn't.

I had to say goodbye.

Tomorrow.

It had to be tomorrow, or else I would never work up the courage to do it.

When we arrived at the hotel, I paid the driver and we walked through the reception and into the large elevator that took us up to our suite. We took the ride in a comfortable silence, neither of us needing to fill the air with unnecessary noise.

We ordered room service when we got back up and Bella decided she was going to climb into the shower before our food arrived. I took the liberty of arranging a spa day for her tomorrow, while I was out of the hotel. She would hate me for it at first, but I knew that the girly girl deep down inside her would love it when she got into it.

I know it sounds wrong, but I needed for her to be occupied tomorrow, while I was out. This was something that I had to deal with by myself. Even if it was my family I was here with and not Bella then I would need to be alone to do it. I just don't know if I had the courage. Well, I would have to get there to find out.

We were sitting there chuckling at an episode of Will&Grace when there was a knock at the door. Obviously the hotel staff weren't allowed to use the elevator that opened up into our living room.

"I'll get it." Bella squealed before jumping off of the sofa and kind of half running, half skipping to the door. Something told me that she was a bit too excited about the food. I couldn't help but smile at her, resting my arms on the back of the sofa and watching as she opened the door. The way her eyes followed the cart as the bus boy left it in the center of the room as she'd asked. Yeah, she was hungry alright.

She picked up both trays and brought them over to where we were sitting on the sofa.

"Don't feel like at eating at the table?" I asked, indicating a small dining table that was set up in the corner of the room. She looked at it and then back at me and shook her head.

"Too boring." She grinned, handing me some cultery wrapped in a napkin. "This is a lot more interesting."

"Yeah, and I don't think the hotel will be too impressed if we get our dinner all over their upholstery." I pointed out and she waved me off with her fork before stabbing a piece of ravioli.

"Who cares?" She mumbled, her mouth full, causing me to laugh. "I mean, it's not like we don't pay enough. They're rolling in it. So, what's one ruined couch to them?"

I shrugged and scooped up a forkful of spaghetti, proudly managing to avoid getting sauce all over my shirt and face. I was determined to eat this without covering myself in sauce. Whether or not I would be successful was another story, but still, it was a challenge of mine.

"Here." She held up a couple of pieces of ravioli on her fork, wanting me to try them. "This is delicious. You _have_ to try it."

Honestly, I would have loved to, but seeing the ravioli on her fork coming towards my face sparked something within me. Momentarily, I didn't see Bella and the pasta she had on her fork, but I saw Emmett, kneeling over me, paper bag in hand, pinning me to the ground. I couldn't breathe as images from that night overwhelmed me.

"NO!"

"Edward?" She sounded scared. "Edward, love are you okay?"

I closed my eyes trying to calm my breathing. I gulped and nodded my head. "Yeah, it's just……I just …… Emmett." I couldn't even tell her why I had freaked out.

Her expression turned to one of realisation and that was all it took. She took both of our plates off of our knees and she placed them on the coffee table in front of the sofa. She shifted and pulled me into her arms. I cursed myself for being so weak. I thought that I had put this all behind me. Obviously I was wrong.

"It's okay, baby." She whispered, running her hands soothingly through my hair. "I'm sorry. I completely forgot. I'm sorry. It's okay, love."

"Don't apologise." I pulled back and pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."

She shook her head. "No." She brushed a few strands of hair out of my face and sighed. "You didn't overreact. It's understandable. That night……it's been imprinted in your memory. And it'll probably stay there for a long time."

"I just hate that this will be something that I'm going to be battling with for the rest of my life." I sighed and looked away from her. I didn't want her to look at me like this. She shouldn't have to see me like this.

She took my chin in her hand and pulled my face around to look at her. "And I am going to be there every step of the way with you. As long as you want me there."

"I'll always want you there." I whispered and pressed my lips to hers again.

"Good." She smiled as we broke apart. "Because, I don't feel like getting a divorce. Too much hassle." She grinned and I chuckled at her lack of tact. She knew what she was saying and I knew it was just to cheer me up. I have to say that it worked.

"I would never divorce you." I whispered, truthfully. "I couldn't live without you. Knowing that you're mine and I'm yours, it……gives me some meaning, you know?"

She nodded, not taking her eyes away from mine. "Come on, let's finish our dinner and go to bed. It's been a long day and I think we both need some sleep." She handed me my plate and smiled at me. "No feeding each other. I promise." I nodded at her and she smiled.

We ate the rest of our food in a comfortable silence, a silent conversation happening between us. I didn't need to talk and it seemed neither did she.

After we finished we headed into the bedroom and after changing we climbed into the bed. Neither of us were in the mood for anything tonight, and we were both happy enough to fall asleep in each others arms.

I couldn't sleep though. I knew that I had to put this whole matter behind me. And I knew that it had to be done tomorrow. But the thought that terrified me the most was that it was something that I had to do on my own. I knew how much Bella wanted to help, but this was something that I needed to face by myself.

I eventually fell asleep around three, falling into a dreamless sleep that was neither fitful nor restful.

////////

I woke up the next morning around eight o'clock.

Great five hours of sleep. Perfect.

I looked down and saw that Bella was still sleeping soundly next to me.

I gently unwrapped her arms from my waist and climbed out of bed. I didn't want to wake her up at all. She deserved to sleep.

I grabbed my clothes from my bag, I crept into the bathroom. I wasn't going to have a shower as I knew that that would wake Bella up. I quickly washed my face, shaved and dressed. I would take a shower when I got back later on.

Looking at myself again, I realised that I looked extremely worse for wear, my bad night's sleep last night really showing through. There were faint bags under my eyes and I looked extremely worn. The worse thing was I couldn't have any coffee either because of this damn medication that I was on. I attempted to flatten down my hair, to no avail obviously and walked out into the main bedroom quietly.

Bella was asleep and I knelt back down by my bag and took out the pot of medication. Sighing, I opened it and shook one out, dry swallowing it uncomfortably. I quickly wrote Bella a note, telling her that I would be back later and informing her of her spa day, saying that they would be ready for her at eleven o'clock.

I gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before grabbing my jacket, wallet and phone before heading into the elevator that would take me down to the reception area.

I walked out of the hotel and stuck my arm out for a taxi. I hated that I hadn't told Bella where I was going, but in my head, it was necessary. I didn't want her to be mixed up in all of this. Especially on our honeymoon.

I told the driver where I wanted to go and spent most of the ride staring out of the window, gazing at the familiar sights around me. I had missed Chicago, but not as much as I'd thought. It didn't feel like home anymore. But I knew then that home was anywhere that Bella was. Nothing other than that could qualify.

As he pulled up to my destination I handed him the cash, telling him to keep the change and climbed out of the cab.

I breathed in and tried to steady my heartrate.

Slowly I walked up to a wrought-iron gate and pushed it open, trying to prepare myself for what I had to do. I wished Bella could be here with me, but I knew she couldn't be. I took my phone out of my pocket and put it on silent, not wanting to be disturbed by anything while I was here. I needed this time for me.

I walked forwards, knowing exactly where it was I needed to go. Although, I had only been here once before, ten years ago, I remembered where I needed to go like the back of my hand.

Reaching my destination, I stopped in front of two identical headstones.

I read each one carefully, feeling the tears pricking at the edges of my eyes.

_Elizabeth Louise Masen_

_26.03.1967 – 14.10.1997_

_Loving Wife_

_Adoring Mother_

_Edward James Masen Sr._

_28.09.1966 – 14.10.1997_

_Caring Husband_

_Beloved Father_

I knelt down in front of the graves and I felt the tears that had been welling up in my eyes overflow. I couldn't hold them in anymore. Just being here. I couldn't describe it.

I hadn't been here once in ten years. I knew that I could have come to see them. Maybe that would have helped me work through some stuff, instead of following the methods that I had.

"Hi, Mom. Dad." I whispered, not feeling stupid in the slightest. I knew I needed to do this. It wasn't something I could avoid. "I'm sorry I haven't come to see you, before now, but I didn't know if I was strong enough to. You're probably so disappointed in me. I know that you would be if you were still here. I could have handled things better, I know that now. But I can't undo the past, no matter how much I want to, I can't.

"I was sick. And I know, that that's not an excuse to not come and see you but, it's the only reasoning I have. I didn't want to come and see you when I was like that. I didn't want to disppoint you any more than I already had. And when…when…I tried to kill myself, I knew that you would be upset, but I couldn't stand it anymore. When you…died…you left such a whole in my heart and I didn't know how to fill it. So I turned to destroying myself. And it worked for a while.

"I want you to know that I'm better now. Mostly. It's hard, but I'm getting there. Sometimes, I don't think I can do it. That's it too hard. That maybe……getting better, isn't worth it. But then, I think about …… you. The two of you. And I can't help that think that you would want me to get better. That if you were still here, you'd push me to get better. Hell, if you were still here, I would have even gotten sick in the first place.

"I realise now that I was sick. I think I still am. But I'm not as bad as before. I still struggle sometimes. But I have the most wonderful family now, they love me so much. And I love them. You know, I still can't call Carlisle and Esme "Mom" and "Dad". I feel like it would be disrespecting you in some way. But I can tell that they love me, too much in my opinion. I'm not worthy of their love. But they give it to me anyway. And I've given them mine. I also have two brothers and two sisters. Remember how I was always pestering you for a brother or sister. Sometimes I wish I didn't have them, but I know that if I ever lost them, then I …… I don't know what I'd do. They mean so much to me that I could never give them up. I don't deserve them either, but still, they're there and they love me.

"I also have the most amazing girl in the world. And she's mine. Two days ago she became my wife and it was the most amazing day of my life. It even beat my sixth birthday party it was that good. I would have loved if the two of you could have met Bella. Especially you Mom, you would have loved her. She was the one that inspired me to get better. It's because of her that I'm not buried in the ground next to you. If she hadn't come along then I most certainly would be.

"Bella, has changed my life in so many ways, and I don't know how I'm going to cope when she has to go back to Phoenix. God, I wish she didn't. I don't know if I'm strong enough to carry on without her. I know we're married and everything but……I can't help but think……that she won't come back. That she'll forget. And I don't know what I'd do if she did. I wouldn't have the will to carry on. If I lost her, then there wouldn't be anything to stop me. I think… You know what? I don't know what I think. It's not like it's ever mattered to anyone anyway. Bella's really the only one who listens to what I want and what I think anymore. It's like, I just fade into the background most days. Like I'm just………there. Not really doing anything, not really there for anyone. And then Bella comes along and she makes me feel like I'm a real person. Like I matter.

"Oh, I wish you could have been at our wedding. She was so beautiful and I knew that I would never let her go. I'm not going to. Not without a fight anyway. I just hope that she doesn't want to let me go either. I can only hope, right? I wish the two of you could meet her. You would both love her so much. She's the warmest, kindest, most loving, caring, beautiful person in the world. It hurts that you'll never meet her. That you're never going to be able to see our children, if we have them that is. I hope we do. I hate that you'll never be able to see them. And I hate that they won't ever get to meet their grandparents.

"I miss you guys. So much. I wish that you were still here. I've needed the two of you so much over the years and you weren't there. And I hated you so much for leaving me. You left me. I was alone. I was alone and I didn't understand why. I still don't understand, but I know now that it wasn't your fault that you left me. And……it wasn't my fault either. You didn't leave me because you hated me. Like I thought you did. It took me ten years but I finally realise that now. And I can let you go. I can say goodbye.

"I love you, Mom. Dad. But I can't hang on to your memory forever. I have to say goodbye." I stood up and looked down at my parents headstones, feeling the tears streaming down my face. "I love you both, so much. And you'll always be in my heart. I'll never forget you." I sniffed and turned around to walk out of the cemetery. "Goodbye."

With that I walked away from them, not really feeling any different to how I had when I came in. I was hoping for some sort of closure, maybe. Something telling me that I had done the right thing.

I walked through the iron gates and I walked up the street. I sat on the steps leading up to the church that sat beside the cemetery and looked at the people passing me by.

"You okay, son?" I heard a gentle voice behind me say. I looked up to see a kind-faced elderly man standing at the top of the stairs. From the white collar around his neck, I took him to be the priest of this church.

"I'm okay, thank you." I said softly, looking back at the people walking past.

"Well, to the casual observer, it would look like you're mighty upset." He walked down the stairs slowly and sat down beside me. "Here." He handed me a packet of tissues and it was only then that I remembered that my face must be covered in tears. I took the packet from him and smiled as I wiped my face. "Care to share what's on your mind?"

I sighed heavily, wondering if I should tell this man anything. I resolved that he felt it was his job to help people. To give advice. And even though I wasn't religious in any way, I was in need of some serious advice.

"Well," I didn't really know where to start. "I visited my parents for the first time today. The first time since their……" I trailed off not wanting to say it out loud. "The first time in ten years." My voice was nothing more than a whisper.

"I understand, son." He placed a hand on my shoulder and I instinctively flinched away, cursing myself mentally immediately after.

"Sorry." I said looking at him, seeing an expression of hurt and something else. Understanding, maybe? "I just…I have a real problem with being touched. It's…it's got nothing to do with you."

"I understand." He sighed and looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Tell me. Why do you think it took you so long to come and visit your parents?"

I gulped slightly and sighed. "I was afraid."

"What of?"

"That, somehow, they'd be disappointed in me." I admitted, feeling slightly ashamed.

"Let me tell you, it doesn't matter what a child has done, a parent always love and support them. Even if they are no longer in our world." He sounded so sure.

"I, um, it wasn't because I thought they wouldn't support me." I explained to him quietly. "I've…I've had a lot of um, problems, since they died." I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, pulling up the sleeve to my shirt, showing him half of what I meant. I heard a slow intake of breath come from him. "I didn't deal with it so well." I quickly covered the scars on my arm again.

"That's all behind you now though, right?"

I shook my head slowly. "Not all of it. Um, that wasn't everything that I used to do. I used to think, that I could replace the pain that my parents left with something physical. And the …… cutting …… wasn't enough. I needed something more." I looked at him and I could see the conclusion he was most probably drawing up. "No, it wasn't drugs. I wouldn't touch drugs."

"Then what was it?" He asked me calmly and I hesitated, not really sure if I should tell him or not. He'd probably think I was insane. "I won't judge you. That's not really my kind of work." He smileda t me again. "You can tell me."

I sighed again, looking down at the steps. "Have you ever heard of Anorexia Nervosa?"

"Yes…" I could tell that he was trying to work it out in his mind. I looked up at him and saw that his mouth made a small "oh" as he figured out what I meant. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." He seemed at a loss for words. "You're okay now, though?"

"It's a constant struggle." I whispered, not trusting my voice to go any louder. "Sometimes, I feel like giving up, and a lot of the time I almost do."

"But she makes it worthwhile." This was a statement, not a question.

"How did you know?" I turned to look at him and he smiled.

"The ring on your finger kind of gave it away." He pointed to my left hand and smiled at me. I looked down and saw the beautiful platinum band that lay on my finger, the diamonds embedded in it glittering in the sunlight. "She's your everything, isn't she?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, she is."

"She must be a wonderful girl." He mused, looking out into the street as I had been doing not a minute before. "To help you through that, she must be remarkable."

"She is." I smiled, thinking of my Bella. "If it wasn't for her then I wouldn't be sitting here today. I'd probably be lying right next to my parents."

"Now that's a sad thought. To think of such a young life, wasted." He shook his head. "It's not right." He sighed and stood up. "I think you're just lost at the moment…"

"Edward."

"Edward." He smiled at me. "But…give it time, and you will find your way. It must have taken a lot of courage to come here today, especially after such a long time. But you found it, and that's the first step. Give it time and you will be able to move on with your life. I'm not saying you need to forget your parents. Never do that. But you make a special place for them in your heart. That way they'll always be there. With you. I know that sounds terribly cliché, Edward, but it's the truth. In coming here, today, you've started on your path to forgiving yourself. All you need is a little guidance and you'll get there." He smiled at me and turned to walk up the steps again. "Good luck, my son."

"Thank you." I called after him as he walked up towards the church.

I didn't know how long I sat there, but I couldn't stop thinking about what the priest had said to me.

Could I move on with my life.

I hoped so.

I wanted to start anew. I wanted to have a different life. One where I didn't freak out at the mention of a meal. I wanted that to be possible. Was it? I was starting to think that it might be. I could do this. Right? I could help bring myself together to start a new life.

For me and Bella.

**Long chapter there.  
I actually cried whilst writing the scene where Edward's talking to his parents.  
Made me so sad to write it.  
Please review.  
xx**


	44. Nightmares

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Just to let you know, that my sisters video for Saving Edward is up and running. Link is on my profile. So head on over and check it out :D**

**EPOV**

When I got back to the hotel, Bella wasn't anywhere to be seen.

She must have still been down at her spa day.

I was glad that she didn't not go. I knew that she wouldn't be happy that I had arranged it for her without her knowledge, but she also wouldn't waste it.

I walked through to our bedroom and removed my shoes before I flopped down starfish style on the bed. I stared up at the ceiling for a while, running through what I had just done.

I had said goodbye to my parents.

Somehow after speaking with that priest, it felt as though there was a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I didn't know how, but what he had said affected me more than I thought it had. Telling someone about my eating disorder seemed to help. I don't know what it was, but telling a complete stranger about my anorexia and cutting really seemed to take a weight off my mind.

I climbed up onto the bed completely, laying my head on the pillow and rolled over onto my side and closed my eyes, waiting for Bella to return. I must have fallen asleep because a short while later I was being awoken to the smell of lavender, roses and …… pancakes? That last one was a bit off.

I opened my eyes to see Bella sitting next to me, a small smile on her face. She was where the lavender and roses were coming from. But it was the pancakes I was confused about.

"Hey, sleepy." She whispered, leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

"Hey." I mumbled back sleepily.

"I thought you might be hungry so I brought you some food." She smiled, reaching behind her, picking up a plate that was resting on the bedside table. "Here." She placed it on the bed in front of me, placing a knife and fork on the bed beside it.

"Oh, so that's the pancake smell was coming from." I mumbled sitting up and resting back on the pillows. I picked up the plate and smiled at the fact that she'd gotten me blueberry pancakes even though it had to be sometime in the mid-afternoon section of the day.

She laughed slightly and I leaned forward and kissed her. She leaned on the pillows and rested her head on my shoulder while I ate. I looked down at her and saw that she had her eyes closed. She had an etherial glow about her and I knew that was from the various treatments she had had today.

I finished my pancakes and placed the plate on the table next to my side of the bed. At feeling my movement, she opened her eyes and smiled at me, widely.

"Good pancakes?" She asked softly, her arms snaking their way around my waist, her head dropping back onto my shoulder.

"Delicious." I mumbled, pressing my lips to her forehead. "Thank you love."

"Thank you." She whispered, nuzzling her head into my shoulder even more.

"What for?" I asked, confused. She was the one that had just fed me. What was she thanking me for?

"The spa day." She giggled. "We're still on the same day, and you've already forgotten."

"Sorry, love." I ran my fingers through her hair softly. "I've just had a lot on my mind today, is all."

"I was wondering about that." She mumbled softly. "Where did you go today? You have to tell me, but … just know that I'm here."

"I, um, I went to …… see my parents." I admitted and I heard a small intake of air come from her. "I needed to see them."

She lifted herself up onto her elbows and pressed a soft kiss onto my lower jaw. "What happened?" She spoke softly and gently, knowing that this was a hard subject for me. I was sad to admit that I was a little surprised when she didn't ask why I hadn't told her where I was going.

"Not much really." I admitted. "I spoke to them. They didn't really say much back. I don't know." I sighed, slowly, looking her in the eye and seeing nothing but love there. "I just felt like I had to see them. To at least go and visit them. You know, put everything behind me."

"Did it work?" She asked gently.

"I think so." I nodded my head. "I mean, I don't feel………I don't know. It's hard to describe how I feel. Like I can move on, you know? Like I'm not being bound by them anymore. It's hard to describe."

"It's okay," She whispered, her arms snaking their way around my waist again. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But…I'm proud of you."

"What?" I was confused now.

"I'm proud of you." She smiled up at me. "It took a lot of courage for you to go and see them today. Even more for going on your own. You're becoming so strong Edward. I'm so proud of you."

I didn't say anything. I just kissed the top of her head gently and rested my head on top of hers. Nothing else needed to be said. Unlike a lot of people we didn't need to talk about mindless topics just to pass the time.

"So," I whispered after a while. "How was your day?"

"It was good." She mumbled. "The massages here are to die for." She giggled, snuggling into me even more. "I ran into Brandi, you know from the plane?" I nodded. "She, Taylor's mom, sister and aunt were there. Taylor's mom and sister were really nice, but his aunt, she was …… plainly put a bitch. I mean, she looked down on Brandi so much, and the way she spoke to her. It was like she was something she'd found on the bottom of her shoe. I really wanted to put her in her place, you know? Show her that she can't treat people the way she treats Brandi."

"Ooh, wanna retract the claws there?" I asked, chuckling and she pouted up at me.

"Nope." She smiled at me. "I swear, if she hadn't left when she had, she would not have any eyeballs right now."

"Meow!" I grinned down at her and she grinned back up at me proudly.

"Well, she's a bitch anyways." She grumbled and all I could do was chuckle at her. "Don't laugh at me." She mumbled, trying to sound angry. In my mind all she pulled off was a cute grumble which made me chuckle even more.

"I'm not." I told her, a grin on my face.

"Liar." She countered and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"True." I didn't argue and she slapped my stomach lightly, before wrapping her arm back around my waist and sighing. "I love you." I sighed, closing my eyes, wrapping my arms around her.

"As I love you." I could tell she was getting sleepy. All those oils and aromatherapies today must have wiped her out. I heard that they had a kind of calming effect.

I breathed in her scent and closed my eyes. Even though I had been asleep for a while already today, I could feel the longing of sleep washing over me again. I ran my hands through her hair as she started to mumble slightly. Wow! She had fallen asleep fast.

I rested my head back on the pillows behind me and sighed gently, allowing the deep washes of sleep to engulf me once again, only this time I was in the arms of my beautiful wife.

_I was standing in the middle of the playground, watching the kids around me, playing, chasing each other, doing the things that normal kids do. I looked around and saw the faces of kids that I remembered, but couldn't quite recall their names. It had been such a long time since I had seen them, when actually it had probably only been a few minutes._

_What was going on?_

"_Edward!" A familiar voice called. I turned to look at who it was and I saw a group of kids, both boys and girls, standing there waving at me. I grinned and waved at them. My friends._

_You're going to be on my team, right, Edward?" A sandy haired boy grinned at me, running along next to be._

"_Robbie!" A girl shouted, clearly not please. "You got him last time. It's our turn to have Edward on our team."_

"_No, I didn't!" He countered, sticking out his tongue. "If you remember, when we last played, Edward was on Alex's team."_

_She stopped and thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah. I forgot." She bit her lip and shrugged innocently. Something told me that she hadn't forgotten, but was just trying to make it look like she had. Perfect little girl ploy._

_I knew what they were fighting about. We were playing baseball and I was the kid to have on your team. My school participated in Little League and I was the best player on our team. It didn't matter what position I played, I was the best. I normally played second base when playing with the team, but when it was at school for fun, I went where I was needed._

_Robbie stood there and stuck his tongue out at the little girl. Rebecca. That's what her name was. Everyone told me that she had a crush on me, but I didn't like to think about that._

_Hey, I'm seven._

_To me, girls have cooties and are things to run away from._

_And I'm not planning on changing my mind any time soon._

_I grinned at the confrontation they were having, knowing that it was about me. What can I say, I liked being fought over. It made me feel good. It doesn't happen that often, so I might as well get what I can now._

"_Come on, you guys. Let's play." Alex called from across the field. They'd settled their dispute and as it turns out I _was_ on Robbie's team today. Not that I cared. All that mattered was I got to play._

_I took up the bat and looked at Alex who was playing pitcher today and grinned at him. "Hey, Alex!" I called over, gaining his attention. "You think you can beat me this time?"_

"_No problem Masen!" He only used my last name when he was serious. He wanted to beat me. The only time he won at baseball was when I was on his team._

_I made a face at him and he frowned at me. He didn't like it when I made faces at him. He thought that I was being childish. And every time I had to remind him that we were children. That seemed to stump him every time and he would get annoyed about the fact that I was right._

_Even though there was a rivalry between us, it was only when we were on the baseball field. Other than that we were best friends. We had grown up together. We were born within the same week and our mothers had become friends while in the hospital. They were best friends and Alex and I had spent pretty much every day together. We were strong friends._

_Unless we were playing baseball, that is._

_We had played a fierce game that lasted most of lunch. Well, it was fierce to us anyway. It was probably pathetic when you were watching from the outside. We didn't care. We were having fun. And I was whooping Alex's butt, so it was all good. My team won again and Alex was not happy. He would be in this strop until the end of school, but as soon as his mom came to pick us up it would be forgotten._

"_Edward!" Alex called, running up to me. He didn't seem to be in the usual strop he was after he lost._

_I soon found out why._

_He came barrelling into me, sending me flying across the field._

_These fights between us were not uncommon. But we normally fought at home. It was unsual for us to fight like this, even a play fight as it was, to break out in school._

_Everyone around us was laughing and clapping. Why I don't know. They probably thought it was a real fight._

"_Johnston!" An angry voice called. "Masen!"_

_We stopped fighting immediately and looked over to see our teacher running over to us, a look of anger on his face. We looked at each other, knowing that we were in trouble._

"_You two come with me!" He stopped and pointed between me and Alex. We both stood up and followed him slowly. We knew that we were in trouble. He led us to the principal's office and stopped. "You two wait here." He pointed to the chairs next to the door and we sat down, not looking at each other._

"_We're in trouble." Alex state, pointing out the obvious._

"_Yup." I nodded, popping the "p"._

_We sat there for a while, waiting, wondering what was going to happen. Lunch was over and everyone was back in class, but we weren't allowed to go back to class until we had been "dealt with" by the prinicipal, apparently._

"_Edward!"_

"_Alex!"_

_We both looked up to see two worried mothers and two angry fathers walking towards us. We looked at each other and braced ourselves for what was about to come._

"_Edward! Are you okay, sweetie?" My mother ran up to me and took my face in her hands. "What happened? Are you alright?"_

"_Mom! Mom! Mo-om!" I moaned, trying to pry her hands away from my face. "I'm fine."_

"_Edward." My father walked up behind my mother, and looked at me angrily. I was slightly afraid of him now. He had never looked at me that way before. I didn't want to know what was behind that look. "We're going to sort this out right now."_

_He was not happy. He had just been at the hospital for like a full day, and I knew that this was the last thing he wanted. I wish I could just tell him that they had it wrong._

_He motioned for me to stand up and we went into the prinicpal's office. I looked back at Alex who seemed to be getting the same treatment from his parents. We were both in trouble. But why I didn't understand. We hadn't done anything wrong._

_We walked into the principal's office and she motioned for the three of us to sit down, me in the middle. I looked at my parents as they sat down. My mother was looking worried, and my father was looking angrier and angrier as the moments passed._

"_Now," Principal Browne looked at me sternly. "I hear that you were fighting today Edward. You know how serious that is. Now, would you like to explain to us what happened." The three of them looked at me expectantly and I gulped._

"_Well, Edward." My father gestured for me to explain._

"_Well, we weren't really fighting at all." I said quietly. "We'd just finished a game of baseball and we were play fighting. It wasn't a real fight."_

"_Even if that's true Edward, you know how serious we take that kind of behaviour at this school." Principal Browne looked at me over her glasses in an accusing way, as though she didn't really believe my story. "Well, I can't let you off, even if it was just play fighting as you say it was." I nodded my head, slowly. "I think detention after school for the rest of the week and if you could take him home now I think that would be best."_

_I looked at my father who looked even more annoyed than I had ever seen him before. He sighed and nodded. I didn't want to think about what would happen if I argued at all now._

"_Come on." He said forcefully, standing up and grabbing my hand._

_Walking out into the hallway, I saw that someone had brought my stuff and my mother picked it up, following my father and me. He was walking so fast that it hurt my arm. I couldn't keep up properly._

_He shoved me into the car and slammed the door. I had never seen him that angry before. If I was scared before, I was absolutely terrified now._

_As he got in, he slammed his hands on the steering wheel._

"_Dear, calm down." My mother said softly. I looked at her and I could see that she was worried as well. It was written all over her face._

"_No, Elizabeth." He snapped, turning on the ignition. "I get home from the hospital to a phone call saying that Edward's been fighting. Not the way I wanted to spend the rest of my day."_

"_But Dad, I wasn't really fighting." I argued back. "We were only-"_

"_Quiet Edward!" We were moving now, so I did what I normally did and watched everything go by out the window. "I know you said you were play fighting, but that doesn't matter. What you did was irresponsible. You should know better Edward! I thought that your mother and I had taught you better than that. It's time you stop acting like a child and grow up."_

_What was he talking about? I _am_ still a child._

"_But Dad," I argued back again, a smug edge to my tone. "How can I grow up when I am stil a child."_

"_Dammit, Edward!" My father was really angry now. "Don't you dare answer me back like that young man!"_

"_But-"_

"_No!" He shouted at me. "I will _not_ be spoken to like that by my own son! I did not raise my son to speak to me as though I-"_

"_Daddy, look out!" I screamed._

_There was a car swerving straight for our car. My father hadn't noticed until my shout and the next thing I knew it was ploughing straight into us, striking my father's side of the car and causing us to spin out of control._

_We struck something and I saw my mother's side of the car crumple into nothing, her still fastened to the seat by her seatbelt. She couldn't escape. I wanted to scream out, to cry out as loud as I could, but nothing would come out. Neither of them were moving and I could smell something like smoke._

_The car was on fire. I tried to unbuckle my seatbelt but it wouldn't budge. I closed my eyes tightly, only to hear someone calling my name in the distance._

"Edward!" I heard the voice calling out to me. "Edward, love! Wake up! Please, love, wake up!"

My eyes snapped open and I saw Bella hovering over me, tears in her eyes. I wiped my hands over my face to find that I was sweating buckets and there were tears streaming down my face.

"Oh, thank god." She murmed pressing her lips to my sweaty forehead. "I was so afraid." She mumbled. She looked at me, the tears in her eyes spilling over. "What were you dreaming about?"

She sounded so worried and I knew that I couldn't lie to her. Not about something like this. She would find out eventually. "My parents." I mumbled, sitting up slowly. "The day that they, um……the day they died." I heard her gasp slightly. "It was like I was actually there again. Reliving it."

"Oh baby." She wrapped her arms around me, but I shook my head slightly.

"Give me a minute." She pulled back and nodded, understanding and I got out of the bed.

I walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face a couple of times. I looked in the mirror and saw sheer terror in my eyes. I hadn't seen that look in my own eyes since the actual accident.

What did this mean?

I hadn't had these dreams, or nightmares, more appropriately, since I had started to starve myself. It had proven to me the way out for me. Why had they come back now? What had caused them to return.

Whatever it was, it was not good.

I didn't know if I could deal with these nightmares again. Well, it was only one. Reliving the accident over and over again. Could I do that? I didn't think I could.

But how was I going to get them to stop?

**Things don't seem to be going too well for Edward do they?**

**How will he get his nightmares to stop again?**

**Have to continue reading to find out.**

**Of course, leaving me some reviews encourages me to write faster, so if you want another chapter you know what to do :D**

**Head on over to my profile if you want to watch the vid my sister's made. It's really good :D**

**xx**


	45. Trouble's Coming

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Some of you are going to hate me for this but:**

**Jacob POV (Day 2 of Bella and Edward's honeymoon)**

Some people might think I'm being obsessive, and yeah I might be, but I know that what I'm doing is right.

I was right to call Renee.

Everything that I've done is right.

Why can't everyone else see that?

I know why they can't. Because they're too taken in with his little sob story. They're being pulled in with his, and his family's lies. Even Bella has been. He's warped her mind. Made her believe that he's something he's not.

But I know better.

And he's even convinced her that she wants to marry him.

She's fucking engaged to the fucker!

I have to stop that wedding! That wedding cannot happen. But how can I stop it. I don't know how I can. I know that if I go to the Cullens' they'll probably have Charlie arrest me. And I don't want that. I had left them alone for the last few weeks, not wanting Bella to be any more mad at me than she already was. But I didn't really care about that anymore. I knew I couldn't let this wedding happen. It wouldn't happen until Bella came back after graduation. I was sure of that much. I just need to stop it happening somehow.

How can I do it though?

Then, it was as if a lightbulb went off in my head.

Renee.

She can stop the wedding from going ahead.

She'll stop it.

I practically ran out of my room, flipping through the numbers on my phone, looking for Renee's number.

I picked up my house phone and dialled Renee's number, praying that she would answer. She was the only one I knew of that would stop the wedding. I couldn't even rely on Charlie. He was as taken in by _Edward's_ ploy as the rest of them. His tortured soul act. It seemed that the only one in the area who didn't buy it.

Well, that was about to change.

"Hello?" I let out a breath that I hadn't realised I was holding when I heard her answer.

"Renee?" I asked, making sure that it was her. "It's Jacob."

"Jacob!" That's good. She sounded happy to hear from me. She wouldn't be so happy when I told her the reason for my call. "How good to hear from you! What can I do for you?"

"Um," I didn't really know how to start. "Actually, it's about Bella."

"Is she still saying she's not coming to Phoenix?" She sighed. "Because after what you've told me about that _boyfriend_ of hers." I smiled at the way she sneered the word "boyfriend" knowing full well that she would prefer Bella to be with me than _him_. "There is no way she's staying in Forks."

"Well, Renee, that's the thing." I leaned against the wall as I spoke. "He's not her boyfriend anymore. He's-"

"Good!" She cried. "At least she's done the right thing. She's still coming to Phoenix though. I don't want her anywhere near him. Who knows what he'll do now that she rejected him."

"Renee," I sighed. "That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean then?" She sounded confused now.

"They're engaged." I breathed, waiting nervously for her reply.

"I'm sorry." She laughed. "I must have misheard you. I thought I just heard you say that they're engaged."

"I did." I said slowly and her laughter stopped.

"What?!" She was furious. "When the fuck did this happen?!"

"A couple of weeks ago." I admitted. "Well, that's when I found out. I've been trying to figure out how to put a stop to it, but I've been coming up short. I thought you might have an idea of how to put a stop to it."

"Damn right I do!" She was severly pissed off now. "When the hell are they planning this for?"

"I'm not sure. Probably when Bella comes back to Forks." I breathed, wishing that I didn't have to say this. I hated that Bella was coming back only to be with _him_. I wanted her to come back so she could spend time with me and her friends here. Not so she could tie herself to some whacko.

"Well, she's not going back to Forks. If that's the case." She snarled. I hear footsteps coming from her end of the phone. I could tell that she was pacing from the repetitive sound of the steps. "I'm coming to Forks."

I stood up from the wall, grinning. This would definitely put a stop to the two of them. "Really?" I couldn't hide the glee in my voice. "When?"

"I'm going to book a flight for tomorrow. I'm going to put a stop to this once and for all." She sounded determined, and if she was anything like Bella, then I knew that there was going to be no stopping her. "There is no way she's marrying that sicko!" I couldn't help the grin when I heard her say that. I knew that Renee wouldn't be drawn in by his act. She would be the only one on my side.

"What time?" I asked her, not being able to contain my excitement. Finally, his little charade of being the "poor tortured teenager" would be torn to pieces.

"I'll be getting a morning flight. I want to see my daughter." She was seething. "I'm taking her with me when I leave as well. There's no way that I'm letting her stay til the end of the summer now that I know this is going on."

"Good." I grinned, leaning back against the wall. "She needs to be away from _him_ as soon as possible. He's not good for her."

"I know." She agreed, seeming to have calmed down slightly. "Thank you for telling me this Jake. Now we can put a stop to this entire thing."

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" I didn't want to miss this. I wouldn't miss this for the world.

"Yes," She sighed. "I think I'm going to need you there. For support. You seem to be the only one who's seen this boy's true nature. Not fallen for his act. Even Charlie, who is normally such a good judge of character, despite his other flaws, has done nothing but sing his praises. If he can get to Charlie, well, the rest speaks for itself."

She was right. Charlie was normally such a good reader of people. But somehow, _Edward_ had been able to fool him. Which was not a good thing. All it proved was that Edward was a better liar and actor than I or anyone else had given him credit for.

"Send me the information and I'll pick you up from the airport." I told her.

"Thank you, Jake." I could hear her smiling on the other end, just as I was. We were finally going to stop this charade of a relationship, once and for all.

We said our goodbyes and hung up. I don't know what I'd expected from this phonecall, but it wasn't this. This was too good for me to have imagined. I had to have been dreaming. Everything was going the way I wanted it too. There was no way that this was going to go ahead now. Not with Renee coming here.

I just about stopped myself doing a little happy dance right there in the kitchen as my Dad rolled in.

"What's got you in a good mood?" He scowled at me. He hadn't been happy with me ever since he'd found out that I'd called Renee. He was another one that _Edward_ had managed to convince. I hated that my own father doubted my word, and was believing that freak over me.

"Nothing." I replied innocently, I grabbed a soda out of the fridge before walking through to the sitting room and turning on the TV.

I flicked through the different channels and finally settled on some cartoons. Something that suited my mood, which was happier than it had been in weeks. I was finally getting my way.

I heard the phone ring and my Dad answered it. I could hear him talking and his tone was light and happy. I heard him telling someone to congratulate someone. I shrugged not thinking anything of it. Couldn't be anyone around here. I didn't know who was doing anything or expecting anything worthy of congratulations. Unless Sam had gotten Emily pregnant or something like that. They might be young, but I knew that they were ready.

Now _that_ was a relationship I approved of. Even if he was pissed at me right now. I didn't care. I knew I was right.

A moment later I heard my Dad hang up the phone and he rolled into the sitting room, a grin on his face.

"Who was that?" I asked, trying to act nonchalant.

"Charlie." He replied shortly, still smiling. "As it turns out, Edward and Bella got married two days ago. Beautiful ceremony apparently."

"WHAT?!" I jumped up and stared at my Dad, ready to explode. "What the fuck did you just say?!"

"Watch your language!" My Dad hated it when I swore, but at the moment I didn't really care.

"You did not just say that they're already married!" I squeezed my soda can, not caring that the contents came spilling out over my hand and covering the carpet. "But she's not eighteen yet! They can't be."

"With a parent's permission, yes they can." Billy replied smugly. "And as it so happens, Charlie gave permission, signed the marriage certificate and gave Bella away. It's done, Jacob. There's nothing anyone can do about it."

"Like hell there's not." I moved towards the door.

"They're not there anymore Jacob." My Dad called after me. "They're on their honeymoon, right now."

I stopped in my tracks.

Their _honeymoon_!

Who knew what they would be doing right now!

I did, and I didn't want to think about it.

They could _not_ be married already.

This was not how this was supposed to go.

Renee was supposed to come here tomorrow, and stop this before anything like this could happen. This was _not_ how things were supposed to go.

"Jacob, you have got to stop this." My Dad pleaded with me and I could hear him turn to face me in his chair. I could imagine the look on his face, so I didn't need to turn around to see it.

"Stop what, Dad?" I spat back. "Stop Bella making the biggest mistake of her life? Which I'm too late for now. If I'd known I could have stopped it. She's going to regret it, I know she is."

"This is what I'm talking about Jacob. This is _exactly_ what I'm talking about. Bella and Edward are together now. They are husband and wife and there is nothing you, I nor anyone else can do about it." He sighed, exasperated. "Just let it go."

"No!" I shouted, slamming my fist into the wall next to me. "No! I can't just let it go! She doesn't know what a whacko she's _married_." I snarled the last word. "She's too taken in with him. Just like everyone else is. She doesn't see him for what he really is."

"Yes, Jacob, we do." My Dad was getting angry with me now, but honestly, I was too pissed to care. "He's a smart, sensitive young man, who has been through a lot in his life. Honestly, I think that he's what's right for Bella. She loves him. You seem to be the only one that can't handle that they're together, and honestly, after what you've done, I'm ashamed to call you my son."

"You're wrong Dad!" I snarled, turning to face him. "I'm not the only one that thinks that they shouldn't be together. Renee agrees with me."

"Only because you've fed her a whole load of lies." He snapped back at me. "I wish that you'd tell her you were lying. And I know you know you were, Jacob."

"I can't do that Dad." I grinned at him. "Not when she's on her way here."

"What did you just say?" He looked worried now. "She's coming here?"

"Yup." I replied, popping the "p". I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked at him.

"Why?!" He rolled towards me slightly, his face worried.

"Because she is." I left it at that and went to my room, not wanting to explain anything to my Dad. I knew that he wouldn't let up, and neither would I. We were both as stubborn as each other.

I locked my door and flopped down on my bed.

They couldn't be married.

It wasn't supposed to go this way.

This was all _wrong_!!

I was going to _kill_ him. He took my Bella away from me.

She should have been with me. I was the person that she should have been with.

Before _he_ had come along, Charlie was all for me and Bella being together. Even if she hadn't been open to the idea at the time, I knew that she would have come to see me as more than a friend eventually. That was inevitable.

And then _he_ came along and screwed everything up. If it wasn't for _him_ then Bella and I would be happily together by now. And now, I could only hope that she would see sense and divorce the fucker when she got the chance.

There was no way that this was going to last.

I gave it a month. Tops.

He was too screwed up for it to last longer than that.

I rolled over, closing my eyes, just wanting to forget about this day and wishing that it never happened. I wanted it to be like it was before _he_ came along.

/////////

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew was my Dad was banging on my door, yelling at me incoherently. Or at least to me it was.

I unlocked my door and opened it to find him glaring at me. "_Renee's_ on the phone for you." I looked at the time on my watch and saw that it was just past ten o'clock in the morning.

I walked out into the kitchen and picked up the phone from where it was lying on the counter. "Hello?" I said into the receiver, my voice still thick with sleep.

"Jacob?" She sounded worried. "Where are you? Did you not get the details I sent through to you last night?"

"No." I admitted. "Sorry, I fell asleep not long after I got off the phone to you."

"Well, I'm at the airport in Port Angeles, or whatever its called. I think that's the name. Would you be able to come and get me?"

"Yeah," I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "I'll be there in a little while."

"Okay." I could hear the relief in her voice.

We said our goodbyes and I went and got changed. I didn't bother showering as I didn't want to leave her standing there for longer than necessary. I might have done some things recently that people didn't agree with, but hey, I'm still a gentleman where needs be. At least I thought so.

I left the house without saying goodbye to my Dad or explaining where I was going. There was no doubt he already knew, and had called Charlie telling him what he knew. I didn't care. He was going to get what was coming to him when Renee got to Forks.

I drove in silence, not wanting the disturbance of the radio coming through. I wasn't in the mood for it. I knew that all that would be played would be love songs. Hell, that was all that was ever played. All they did was remind me of Bella and _him_. I hated to think what they were doing right now. But it was ten in the freaking morning. They wouldn't be doing …… _that_……would they? I hated to think of _anyone_ touching Bella in that way, let alone a crazy psycho fucker like _him._

When I got to the small airport in Port Angeles, I saw Renee immediately. She looked tired. But then again, to get here at this time she would have had to get on the plane at … what…I don't know, some stupid time this morning. I wasn't sure of the time difference, but still, she looked exhausted.

I pulled up and she climbed in immediately, dumping her bag on the backseat.

"I can't thank you enough for all that you've done Jacob." She smiled at me. "Knowing what I do now means that I can get my daughter safely away from this boy." She sighed and shook her head. "What possessed her to get together with someone as …… unstable as this "Edward" I don't know. My little girl was always such a good judge of character. But obviously I was wrong about that." She turned to look out of the window. "Well, now I'm here I can put a stop to it." I saw her hand clench into a fist suddenly. "And I can talk some sense into that thick ex-husband of mine."

I was shocked at the venom in her voice at the last comment. I knew she was mad at Charlie, but I didn't know she was this mad. It made me smile to think that she would be getting her point across to _everyone_.

"If you want I can take you to where the psycho lives." I offered and her head snapped around at this. "Bella's there practically all the time, apparently."

"Then, yes." She nodded her head. "I think we'd best pay a visit to this boy's home."

The rest of the drive was silent and I knew that we were both anticipating the moment we got to a) Charlie's house and b) the Cullens. I couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces when we showed up and Renee gave them all a good bollocking.

She would throw it back into their faces, letting them know what everyone else was too stupid to tell them. One thing I loved about Renee.

She never held back.

Something else Bella got from her.

Well, sometimes anyway.

I made sure to pass the police station on the way through, checking to see if Charlie was there. He wasn't so we knew that he would be at home. He wouldn't be with my Dad. He would have told me if he was spending the day with Charlie. He always did, no matter how pissed he was with me. Not that I even cared anymore. We pulled up to Charlie's not much later and I noticed that his cruiser wasn't there. Neither was Bella's truck. She must have left it at the _Cullens_. I couldn't even stand to think their name.

"Where the hell are they?" Renee spat. "Charlie's not at work, so he should be here. Where the fuck is he?"

My grip tightened on the steering wheel. "I know where he is." I started the car again and turned around, taking the unfamiliar but unforgettable route to that dreaded house.

"Where are we going?" Renee sounded confused, not recognising the scenery around her. I'd forgotten she hadn't lived in or visited Forks for many years and so didn't know where we were headed.

"To _his_ house." I snarled, my grip on the steering wheel tightening even more.

"Why are we going there?" She sounded confused and angry at the same time. I smiled, thinking of what would happen when she got going.

"Because that's where Charlie is." I explained, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. "I know it."

She smiled evilly and settled back into the seat, just as I made the turn up the ridiculously long driveway that lead to their house. _Who needs a driveway this long anyway._

As I pulled up to the stupidly large, white house I saw Charlie's cruiser and Bella's truck parked outside in the driveway. I also noticed that the garage door was open revealing _his_ Volvo, two Mercedes, one black and one a deep blue, a large white Jeep, a yellow Porsche, a red BMW and a black motorcycle.

"Well, at least they have money." Renee sneered, her gaze running over all of the cars that were obviously made within the last five years. She climbed out of my car and slammed the door just as I did and we both stalked up to the house.

As we approached the door, she stopped and banged on it repeatedly and loudly I might add.

The door opened to reveal a kind looking woman, with light brown hair. She wore a concerned look, obviously wondering what could be the cause of the ruccus at the front door to her home. She smiled at Renee warmly but her smile disappeared when her gaze fell on me.

"Mom?" A voice called from inside. "Who is it?" I saw one of them walk up behind her. It was that big one. I couldn't remember his name, nor did I want to. "You!" He spat when he saw me. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Emmett!" The woman said, turning to face him. "Watch your tongue." She turned back to look at me. "Jacob, after everything that's happened I don't think that you should be here right now. I think it's best that you leave."

"No can do." I grinned. "I'm with her." I nodded my head towards a fuming Renee.

She turned back to Renee and smiled. "What can I do for you?" She asked kindly.

"I would like to see my daughter and ex-husband please." She smiled with fake innocence. That's another thing I loved about Renee. She could be so damn patronising when she wanted to be.

"Well, if it's Bella and Charlie you're referring to, then Bella's not here, but Charlie is." She turned around, looking back into the house. "Charlie!" She called. "There's someone here for you."

I heard him grumble something about wondering who could be here to see him. He stopped dead when he saw that it was me and Renee standing at the door.

"Charlie." Renee said, a slight sneer in her voice. "Where's Bella?"

"Not here, obviously." He said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'll leave you to it." The woman looked at me. "I would prefer it if _you_ stayed outside." She looked at me darkly. Well, at least now I could see where the kids got it from. It didn't escape my notice that the big one stood a little ways back from Charlie, glaring murderously at me the whole time. I noticed that the blonde one had joined him now. It didn't escape my notice that the girls were sitting on a step, watching the whole interaction as well. Backup, in case their brothers needed it obviously.

"Charlie." Renee's patience was wearing thin now. I could hear it in her voice. "Where. Is. Bella?"

"Not here." He stated, yet again, leaning on the doorframe now.

"Why not?" She turned to look at her truck. "I'm guessing that's the truck that she told me about when she first moved here." She looked back at Charlie, who nodded, confirming her assumption. "Well then, if her truck is here, then she must be too."

"No." Charlie replied, sounding bored. "Actually, she left it here before she and Edward went away."

"Went away where?" She was trying to keep her calm now, and she was beginning to fail.

"On their honeymoon." Charlie stated simply, knowing that he was getting to Renee. Who knew that Charlie had it in him?

"Sorry? What?" She shook her head and smiled at him as though he was making a joke.

"Oh, didn't _he_ tell you?" He nodded at me without looking at me, showing that I wasn't welcome here. " Edward and Bella were married two days ago. We haven't heard from them yet, so they must be having a wonderful time."

I was sure that if I could see Renee's face properly she would have turned a lovely range of colours now. She was visibly shaking in anger. "WHAT?!"

This was going to get interesting.

**Hate me if you will, but this was a complete spur of the moment idea. Not planned at all.  
Do you want me to continue the confrontation that is **_**bound**_** to happen between Renee, Jacob, Charlie and the Cullens, or do you want me to get back to Edward and Bella on their honeymoon.  
It's completely up to you.  
And don't forget to take a leap over to my profile and check out my sister's video accompaniment to "Saving Edward". It's really good.  
Reviews make me happy. They also make me type faster :D  
xx**


	46. A Different Perspective

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Sorry about the lack of updates recently. My internet's been down and I've had real life stuff (pathetic excuse I know) kind of got in the way. There's an abundance of chapters coming your way though so hopefully I'll be forgiven. Not just on this story, but Protecting Him and Eternally Damned as well, so :D**

**Carlisle POV**

I gathered from Charlie's reaction to this woman standing in the doorway into my house that this was Renee, Bella's mother.

The woman who was stealing away my sons' love – now his wife – because Jacob had fed her a huge amount of lies.

I didn't like to think badly of anyone, I always liked to try and find the good in people, but after Jacob's actions in regards to Bella and Edward, I could see none of that in him at all. He had done all he could to sabotage Edward and Bella's relationship, and there was nothing in my mind that he could do to make that up.

And now, to bring Renee here, of all places. It was obvious that there was no low that Jacob couldn't and wouldn't go to.

They had obviously thought that they could stop the wedding, and I do have to say that the look on Renee's face when Charlie announced that Bella and Edward were currently on their honeymoon was priceless. I wanted to grab my camera and document it, but I knew that wouldn't be well received and I had to stay down here to keep an eye on my children. Otherwise, it could get ugly. I could see Esme thinking the same thing.

"What did you just say?" Renee's voice had lowered to a growl, and I had to suppress a smirk. She thought that she was being intimidating. _Sorry Renee._ I put in mentally. _You've got nothing on your daughter_.

I looked over to Emmett and saw that he was wearing a smirk similar to mine, as was Jasper, Alice and Rose and I knew instantly that they were thinking the same thing. They all looked at me and the glint in each of those eyes told me that they were finding all of this extremely entertaining.

"I said, Bella and Edward aren't here." Charlie repeated slowly, making it sound as though he was talking to a child. From what I had heard from Bella, he and Renee had been on civil terms since they had divorced years ago, but now that Renee was taking Bella away from Edward, it seemed that Charlie had, as Emmett had said on numerous occassions "grown a pair". I wasn't keen on the term, but hey, it fits. "They're on their honeymoon."

"But…they can't be married." She looked as though she was going to explode. She was standing there, visibly shaking and I was instantly pleased at my medical knowledge. Having a doctor around would be very useful. Especially if she had a coronary right then and there. "They need a parents permission!"

"Yes," Charlie nodded. "And I gave it to them."

I could hear the smirk in his voice and I knew that he was smiling. He approved greatly of Bella's relationship with my son, which was something that I was very grateful for. He had seen Bella and Edward together. How they had affected each other. How she had helped Edward, and how he had overcome his problems. He had told me on several occassions that he thought Edward was extremely strong and brave. He had even remarked on how he wouldn't choose anyone else for his daughter. Something I was extremely surprised and ecstatic about.

Charlie was someone I would definitely be supporting in this fight.

**Emmett POV**

This was great!

Jacob was here with Bella's pyscho mother. Yeah, even though she was the one who gave birth to Bella, she was still a psycho.

I wanted so badly to teach him a lesson, but I knew that Dad wouldn't appreciate that.

I saw his smile falter slightly when he heard that Bella and Edward were already married. There was something wrong about his expression though, but I couldn't tell what it was. It would all come out soon though, I was sure of that. And to be honest, I wanted it to come out after Jacob begins hitting my fist with his face.

I was just waiting for that opportunity.

I didn't look at Renee or Charlie at all, though I paid attention to what was going on between them. I wanted to know exactly what Jacob had told Renee. It made me want to pound on him even more.

"Are you telling me, that you gave permission for our daughter to get married?" Renee sounded pissed now. I glanced at her to see that she was starting to shake. I imagined her standing there and just exploding, which would be amusing. Even though she was pissed, Bella was still scarier. Possibly something she inherited from both her parents.

I looked over to my Dad and saw that he was smirking as well. It seemed that he was thinking the same thing I was. I didn't need to look behind me to see that my siblings were grinning too. They all would be.

I looked back at Jacob and saw that there was something he wasn't admitting. People might think that I'm just the one who pisses about and doesn't take anything seriously, but I know how to read people. Better than people think I can. Especially since everything came out about Edward. I've been paying more and more attention to people's body language.

And I can tell you, Jacob is definitely hiding something.

"Yes," Charlie nodded, his voice firm. "Yes I did." He shrugged nonchalantly. "You got a problem with that?" _Whoa, go Charlie!_

"Are you serious?" She practically shrieked. "Of course I've got a problem with that! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"Actually yes." Charlie stood up straight now, obviously annoyed at Renee's obvious anger. "I've allowed my daughter to marry the love of her life before you ripped the two of them apart."

"You know why I'm taking Bella away from here!" She tried lowering her voice but it only quieted a little. Not enough in my opinion. "You know why I-"

"Actually Renee." My father walked up behind Charlie calmly. I grinned again, knowing that Renee and Jacob wouldn't be getting anywhere now. My Dad might not have size on his mind, but he's good at talking to people and though he doesn't look like it, he can really throw a punch when he has to. "I think we'd all like to hear _why_ you're taking Bella away from her home."

"You really think that I'm going to leave my little girl here?" She sneered, and I could hear the anger and disgust in her voice. What that was about I had no idea. "You really think that I'm going to leave Bella here? With you? With that pathetic excuse of a boy you call a son?"

Oh, she did NOT!!!!!

**Alice POV**

She did not just do that!

She did _not_ just insult my brother!

Who the hell does she think she is?! She might be the mother of my best friend in the entire world, but she's not getting off lightly. At all!

"Excuse me!" I almost screamed, causing everyone present to turn and stare at me in shock. I didn't look at any of them other than the bitch that was standing just outside our house. "How dare you insult my brother! You have no idea what he's been through! You have no idea about any of my family at all! How dare you say that about him! About any of us!" I marched towards her, not caring that I was being stared at by my family, Charlie, the witch and bastard that were standing outside the door. It didn't matter to me. "You know, I don't understand how someone as judgemental and bitchy as you could have a daughter as amazing as Bella." I shook my head, not believing this woman.

"How dare you speak to me like that?!" She spat at me.

"Quite easily." I retorted and her mouth dropped open.

"Alice." My Dad called in a warning tone.

"No Dad." I looked at him briefly before turning back to look at her. "She needs to hear this! She can't just waltz in and take control like that. She has no idea what she's talking about! She doesn't know Bella anymore, and she sure as hell does _not_ know Edward!" I stepped out of the doorway and stood directly in front of her. "So don't you _dare_ pass any kind of judgement on my brother! If you had been through half the things that he has, you would be _so_ lost. He is the strongest person I know, and you…you…you want to take away the one thing that makes him happy. And you're destroying Bella's happiness with what you're doing." I shook my head at her. "You have no idea. You have no idea how you've affected the two of them. You're such a selfish bitch. And you do not deserve Bella as a daughter. Actually, you know what? From what I've heard and seen for myself, I'm wondering if you _are_ actually Bella's mother. Because it's obvious that she didn't get her caring nature and personality from you, who by the way, has the personality of a wet fish!"

"You little bitch!" She stepped forward and shoved herself into me. She may not have been that big to anyone else, about the same height as Bella, but she was bigger than me. Her shove caused me to fall backwards into the house, hitting my head and twisting my ankle on the doorframe as I fell over.

I cried out in pain one hand reaching up to my head and the other to my ankle. My Dad was immediately seeing to my head as I heard Rosalie's reaction to what had happened.

**Rosalie POV**

This woman's just doing everything that she can to make us hate her even more.

First she insults my brother, then she tries to split up my brother and the love of his life. And now! Now! She physically assaults my little sister!

All I saw was red.

It didn't register in my mind what was happening until my fist, that's right, my fist, connected with Renee's jaw. Rosalie Cullen _does_ _not _slap. She learned from her big brother how to punch properly. And now she was putting it to use.

I watched her fall to the ground with grim satisfaction and smirked.

"You. Will. Not. Lay. A. Hand. On. My. Little. Sister!" I said every word as though it was a separate sentence, trying hard to keep my cool. I was seriously restraining myself at this point, knowing that it wouldn't do any good to seriously pound on this pathetic woman right now.

"You bitch!" She spat at me, trying to get up.

"You really want to repeat that?" I asked her, raising my fist, threatening her again.

She didn't say anything, just glared at me from where she was on the floor.

"You know, you would think that you'd have some manners." I turned my head to see Jacob smirking at me as though he had just won a prize. "Being the daughter of the towns best doctor and all."

"You know," I walked up to him, stopping directly in front of him. "You'd think I care what you think. But after everything that you've done…I really don't."

With that I pulled my fist back once again and shoved it into his face. He grunted and stumbled backwards, clutching at his face. I could hear Emmett cheer in the background and I smirked, knowing that I'd done him proud.

"You slut!" He looked at me and there was extreme anger in his eyes. He stepped towards me and I knew that he was going to hit me. I could see his fists balling up at his sides. I knew he was low, but I wouldn't have thought he was low enough to hit a girl.

Before he had the chance to even pull his arm back, someone slammed into him getting him away from me as fast as he could possibly.

It was Emmett.

He would do anything to protect his family.

The two of them rolled down the steps that led to our house and Emmett climbed off of Jacob, kicking him in the side as he went.

"Nobody touches my sister! EVER!" He was pissed as he walked up to the house. Renee had stood up and was now glaring at Emmett as he stood beside me. "Are you okay?" He asked me, his voice a lot softer now.

"Yeah, I'm alright." I nodded as he looked at my hand. Looking down at it I saw that it was starting to bruise ever so slightly with the force I had used to hit Jacob.

"I think you should leave." My Dad said, stepping around Emmett, and checking my hand. "I don't want either of you on my property anymore."

"I'm not going anywhere until I have this sorted." She sneered at us.

My mother was sitting with Alice, holding an ice pack to her now swelling ankle and Jasper had stepped outside with us. He was ready for a fight, and that was really uncharacteristic of Jasper. He was normally the calm and collected one of the lot of us. Seeing him worked up was strange.

But I knew that he was getting ready for a fight. Just like the rest of us.

**Jasper POV**

I couldn't believe what had happened.

This _woman_ and _Jacob_ had arrived, unannounced at my home and started to verbally and physically attack my family.

How had someone like this given birth to Bella? Someone so sweet and kind, who would do anything for my brother. There was no way these two were related.

Bella was more like Charlie than _Renee_.

I walked outside, with the rest of my family, ready for anything that these two could throw at us. Renee had obviously missed out on the class where you learn not to mess with the Cullens.

"I don't think I will be leaving." Renee smiled. She thought that she could stay, even with us all facing off against her.

She had hurt Edward, my brother. She had hurt Bella, my sister even before she and Edward were married. And she had also hurt Alice, my little sister.

There was no way this woman was going to get away with any of this.

"You really think that you can stay here?" I growled at her, causing her to look at me for the first time. "You really think, that with everything you've done, you can stay here? You must be out of your mind."

"Excuse me?" She looked astounded at my words.

"You heard me." I looked her in the eyes, my voice rising with my anger. "You think that with all the hurt that you've caused, all the pain that you've put my family through that you can just stand there and we're going to take it? There is something seriously wrong with you."

"You can't talk to me like that?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"No?" I cocked my head to the side and crossed my arms mimicking her position. "So you think that you can come to our house, physically and verbally attack my family, cause uncountable amounts of hurt and pain, and you still think that you're right?"

"I know that I'm right." She looked between my mother and father. "You really think that I'm going to let my daughter stay here with you. You're all as crazy as that boy that Jacob told me about."

"That boy also happens to be your new son-in-law." My mother said, her voice more threatening than I had ever heard her before. She stood up, standing at my side, glaring at Renee. "And don't you _dare_ speak about my children in that way. The only one losing her mind right now is standing right in front of me. How can you pass judgement on someone you've never met? You have no right to say anything about my son. Especially since all you've heard is lies. The lies of a jealous boy. Bitter because the girl that he likes fell in love with someone else."#

"I trust Jacob more than I trust any of you." She looked over us all. "I know that he is looking out for my Bella. I'm taking her away from here and away from this place and away from all of you."

Charlie stepped forward, between Rosalie and myself. "I think you were asked to leave." He sounded resolved and determined. "And I would suggest you do now. Or else I'll have to exert my power as Chief of Police and arrest the two of you."

Hell yeah. Charlie was talking.

**Charlie POV**

I couldn't believe that I had once married this woman.

She never used to be like this. This was not the Renee I had married.

She had changed dramatically over the years.

I didn't know who this woman was.

She wanted to take my only daughter away from me. After I had only just got her back. And only because she had fallen in love.

And I couldn't believe that the boy I had watched grow up, and yes, when they were younger, ensisioned marrying Bella, would stoop to this level.

I knew that Jacob was just jealous. It was natural for someone to be jealous when the person they liked someone else. But this was just insane.

I hadn't thought that anyone else would be good enough for my daughter. Anyone other than Jacob. I thought that he would be the perfect man for my little girl. He came from a good family. He was strong willed and reliable. He cared for her. I knew that much.

But now I also knew that I was wrong.

When Bella had first told me about Edward, I was a little wary. I had thought that maybe he would be unstable and could hurt Bella in someway. How had I been wrong. Edward was all I looked for in a man for my little girl. He may have some problems. He may have been through a lot in his short life, and may have held onto a lot of grief and pain for a long time.

But he had come through it.

And that to me made him strong. Stronger than anyone else I knew. And even through all of that, he had always thought of Bella first. He had always put my daughter first. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word.

I had met him many times since he had come out of the hospital and every single time he had been the perfect gentleman. I had been wary to begin with, but he had proven many times over that he was worthy of my Bella.

Now, they were married and he was my son. They had their happy ever after. Like Bella, I had a whole new family. And they were a family that I was going to enjoy getting to know. I hadn't spent much time with the Cullens but I was going to start. They were a huge part of Bella's life, and I knew that they were going to be a good family. For the both of us.

From the time that I had spent with the Cullens, I could see why Bella got on with them so well. Carlisle and Esme were the loving parents that every child should have. They obviously loved each other infinitely. They were both easy to talk to and I could see myself spending holidays and such with them.

Their children on the other hand were not so calm. They were all …… hyperactive, I think would be the best term to use. Except Jasper, who was calm and collected, very much like his father. The others were all like little kids and it made me smile. This was just the kind of family that both Bella and I needed.

I couldn't stop Renee taking Bella away, but she was going to a whole new low coming here like this.

And I was sure as hell not going to let Renee insult my new family like she was. That was not acceptable under any circumstances.

"I'm not joking Renee." I said, my voice stern. "After your behaviour lately I wouldn't be against locking you up for the night."

"You can't do that Charlie." She sounded so convinced.

"Actually, yes I can." I nodded me head slowly. "I can do what I want in regards to the law. I'm the Chief of Police if you haven't forgotten. I can arrest you here and now under grounds of harassment."

"Fine," She sounded like a little child that had been denied a candy of some kind. "I'll leave. But I'm not leaving Forks. I'm not leaving without my daughter."

"Well then, you're going to be here for a while." I smirked at her. "Because she's not coming back for another two weeks, and um, we're not telling her that you're here." She glared at me before her face morphed into what looked like resolved satisfaction. "And if you're thinking that you'll just call her and tell her, do you really think that she's going to want to talk to you when she's off somewhere with her husband?"

"Don't call him that." She sneered her eyes darkening.

"Why not?" I shrugged. "That's what he is. They _are_ married after all."

"Not for long."

"There's nothing you can do about it Renee." Carlisle stepped forward from where he had been checking on Alice's ankle. "Edward is an adult and Charlie gave Bella permission, documents were signed, vows were said. There's nothing you can do."

"I _will_ find a way." She sounded so convinced that she could.

"Well what are you going use for grounds?" Rosalie chirped from where she was standing, slightly guarded by both Emmett and Jasper. Another great thing about this family: they're very loyal and protective of their own. Not something you see very much anymore. "I don't want them to be together because I don't like him."

"I have better grounds than that." She narrowed her eyes at Rosalie. I smirked, knowing that there was no way that Rosalie would be intimidated by Renee. Hell, the girl had just punched Jacob. I didn't think that she was afraid of much.

"You can't prove anything Renee." Jasper spoke up now, his voice angry. "What? You think that you can prove Edward's "crazy". There's nothing written anywhere to support that theory. You might want to check your sources."

Gotta love Jasper. Such a smart kid.

"Now, Renee." I looked at her in the eye. "I'm going to say this one more time. Leave now, or I'm going to have to arrest the both of you."

She looked at me and saw that I wasn't kidding. She gave me a look that told me this wasn't over and I believed it. Renee wouldn't give up. She was stubborn, but not half as stubborn as her daughter.

As we watched Jacob and Renee disappear down the driveway, it was as though we let out a collective breath.

"Well." Carlisle breathed, from where he was kneeling by his daughter. "Crisis averted."

"For now." Esme whispered and we all went into the house.

_Yes Esme._ I thought bitterly.

For now.

**Sorry it took so long to update.  
But it was for the reasons above.  
I hope this chapter flowed properly, you know, with the whole multiple POVs thing. Its something I've wanted to try for a while and now seemed like the best time. I hope it's alright.  
There will be more chapters tonight. In Protecting Him and Eternally Damned as well.  
Please review. They make me smile.  
xx**


	47. Content

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**BPOV**

We were now a week into our honeymoon and it had been absolutely blissful.

I didn't want to go back to Forks.

I didn't want to leave our hotel room.

It had been the most amazing week of my life and I was both excited and disappointed at the fact that we had a week left. On the one hand, we had another whole week to ourselves. Nobody else around, to do what we wanted. But on the other hand, we _only_ had a week left of that blissful peace.

I gazed at my sleeping husband, lovingly.

_Husband_.

I still hadn't gotten used to that word, and I knew it would be a long while before I did. Looking at him, I still couldn't believe that this incredible creature was mine.

After he had visited the cemetery where his parents were buried he had had a nightmare. He had told me the morning afterwards that it wasn't a nightmare, but a memory. It was the memory of the day of his parents death.

We had stayed in and talked about it that day, not really caring that we were losing out on a day. I didn't see it as losing out, because all I had to do was be with Edward and I was content. It didn't matter to me where we were, who else we were with or whatever. As along as I was with him, I had all I would ever need.

We'd thought that talking about it would stop him from having the nightmare again. But we were wrong. He had it three more times over the course of the week. We had a therapy session, just the two of us, scheduled the for the week after we returned from our honeymoon, so we decided to bring it up then. Hopefully, they would be able to give us some answers.

I gazed down at him as he slept, knowing that I would be in trouble if he caught me. Not in serious trouble obviously, but you know, the average trouble for newlyweds. Not like I was complaining or anything. It was actually rather fun.

He was so peaceful and beautiful. It physically hurt my heart to think of what he had been through, but I always felt a swell of pride when I thought of where he had been not even a year ago, and where he was now.

"What are you thinking about, love?" His voice, still thick with sleep, made me start. I hadn't even realised that he had woken up. I may have been watching him, but it didn't mean that I was observant at all.

"You." I smiled, knowing he hated it when I gave him that answer. I don't know why. He still had some self confidence issues, and I reasoned that that was a branch off from that. His brow furrowed in confusion and I giggled at him, pressing my lips to his softly. "I was just thinking about how far you've come."

"What do you mean?" He shifted next to me, now lying on his side, facing me, his beautiful green orbs boring into mine as if trying to read my mind or search my soul.

I looked down at his arm, gently tracing the large white scar on his wrist. The evidence of his attempt at taking his own life. "Well, I was thinking about how far you've come in the last year." I looked into his eyes to see them full of confusion and …… regret? "I mean, just a year ago you were in a place so low that you would do this." I looked back down at his arm and he grasped my meaning.

"It's because of you." He whispered gently. "If it wasn't for you then I wouldn't be where I am now. I wouldn't have gone into treatment, I wouldn't be on my way to getting better. Hell, I probably wouldn't be here full stop." I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off. "No. It's all because of you. You gave me the strength to fight when I didn't think that I would be able to. When I met you, I was in a place where nothing mattered to me. I didn't care about anything, least of all myself. But you…you changed everything." He smiled at me, gently brushing a strand of hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear. "You gave me a reason to live."

"It's just amazing how much things can change in such a small amount of time." I sighed, pressing my forehead to his lightly. "I mean, to think, a year ago, if someone told me that right now, I would be on my honeymoon, I would have laughed in their face. But ..." I looked around the room. "Here I am. With you. The most amazing man I have ever met, on my honeymoon. And I couldn't be happier."

"I'm glad." He smiled his gorgeous crooked smile at me and kissed me lovingly.

"And now, we have our whole lives ahead of us." I kissed the end of his nose gently. "You're getting better everyday, and even though I know that you may never fully get over this, I cannot wait to start my life with you when we get back to Forks. Even though I really don't want to leave here."

"Neither do I." He sighed. I could see in his eyes that he was happy. That's all I saw in his eyes nowadays. Gone were the days that his eyes held that haunted sadness I had seen that first day in Biology.

He was a completely different person.

And he said it was because of me.

I knew that on some level that was true. I was the first and only person, really, that he had ever spoken to about his problems. He hadn't told his family about anything that was going on in his mind. They had found out with Alice's discovery after he had attempted suicide. She had told me about when she'd found him. She told me how she had never been so scared in all her life. She had been told by Carlisle to check on him, as none of them had seen him all evening. And I knew that she, even though she was still haunted by the memory of seeing him there, was glad she did. If she hadn't, he would have died from blood loss.

But that was behind him now.

He was, I dare say it, happy.

"I have to say, that if someone had told me this time last year that I would be happy and in love with the most amazing girl in the world, I would have thought that it was some sick wind-up." He said, his voice laced with sadness. "I would have told them to stop fucking with me." He sighed heavily. "I still keep waiting for the dream to end and to wake up in the hospital in Chicago strapped to the bed."

"Strapped to the bed?" He hadn't mentioned that he was strapped to the bed when he was in the hospital in Chicago. Or maybe he had and I hadn't filed it away in my memory.

He nodded sadly. "I was on suicide watch for two weeks. Strapped to the bed, so I couldn't hurt myself again or run away." He gave me a small smile. "I've told you this already, love."

"Oh." I tried to remember when. "I guess that little bit of information slipped through the cracks." I eased my hand underneath his neck and interlaced my fingers behind his head. "Well, you're better now so…"

"Bella." He moaned.

He hated it when I referred to him as being "better" as we both knew that he wasn't one hundred per cent there yet. "Alright. You're …… ninety per cent better." I rectified with a smirk.

"I'd say eighty." He disagreed.

"Stop doing that." I scolded him.

"Stop doing what?" He pulled his head back, a confused look on his face.

"Putting yourself down." I reminded him. "It's not good for you to do that. You don't give yourself enough credit. You're further along in your recovery than you think. You're not giving yourself credit where it's due."

"No." He agreed with me. "I'm being realistic."

"Stop it!" I tapped him on the nose with my index finger, causing him to scowl mockingly at me. "Now, I want you to get in the shower and get your ass clean and ready to go out. I have no idea what we're doing today, but still. Go!"

"But-"

"No!" I shook my head. "Go. I give you leave to go." I pointed towards the bathroom door, unable to keep a smirk off my face as he sat up.

"What am I going to do with you?" He sighed, leaning down and pressing a kiss to my forehead. He stood up and walked into the bathroom, flashing me one of his adorable grins before he closed the door.

I flopped back down on the bed and sighed. I _was_ happy. I had never even contemplated that I could be this happy. I had the perfect husband. I had a wonderful new family. I had my father who seemed to fit in well with the Cullens, even if he hadn't fully come to terms with the hyperactivity of the children yet. Something told me it wouldn't take too long for him to get used to it.

Too bad that my mother was being such an ass about everything that was going on. I wished that she would just get on board with everything that was happening in my life. Something told me that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, so I would just deal with her when I had to.

Just then, my phone began to buzz from its place on the cabinet on my side of the bed. I picked it up and looked at the caller ID.

_Renee_.

Yet again.

I groaned and cancelled the call. She had been calling me constantly for the last four or five days. I really didn't want to talk to her. She would just ruin my honeymoon and I wasn't going to let that happen. Whatever she had to say to me could wait until I returned home.

My phone began buzzing again as Edward emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his hips, low enough for me to get a good look at his now perfectly defined chest and abs, admiring the beautiful v-shaped muscles that tapered down, disappearing beneath the towel.

"See something you like?" He asked, a sneaky smile spreading across his face.

"Maybe." I answered cryptically.

"You gonna answer that?" He pointed towards my phone that was still buzzing in my lap.

"Mmmm…" I looked down at the annoying little machine. "No."

"Renee?" He knew all of my expressions, tones and mannerisms. He knew immediately when something was wrong. I didn't need to say or do anything whatsoever. It was endearing knowing that he knew me so well.

"Yeah." I nodded, happy that it had stopped buzzing. I extended my arms towards him, clenching and unclenching my fists, pouting, beckoning him to join me on the bed, in a way in similar to which a small child would ask for a hug from a parent. He grinned at me and walked over to the bed, climbing onto it and wrapping his arms around me. I sighed and leaned into his embrace, my arms encircling his waist.

We lay there for a few moments, me painfully aware that he wa only wearing a towel, and exerting an enormous amount of self control, resisting the overwhelming urge to rip it off and have my way with him.

That unfornately was killed when my phone started buzzing again. I knew who it was without looking at the caller ID.

"She's not going to stop calling you know." He mumbled in my ear.

"I know." I whispered back. "I really don't want to talk to her though."

"Might as well get it over with." He mumbled in my ear.

I sighed, really really _really_ not wanting to. I really didn't want to talk to her, but unfortunately, Edward was right. He always was when it came to things like this. If I didn't talk to her now, she was just going to keep calling and ruin what I had left of my honeymoon with my amazing husband.

I flicked open the phone and brought it to my ear. "What?" I snapped, not bothering to be polite. I wanted her to know that she was pissing me off.

"Bella, that's no way to speak to me!" She sounded just as pissed as I was. "Now, tell me, why the hell you haven't been answering your phone!"

"Because I don't want to talk to you." I retorted. "I would have thought that was obvious."

"Don't take that tone with me." She snapped back at me. "Where are you?!"

"Why do you care?" I gritted my teeth and I felt the hand that wasn't holding my phone clenching into a fist. "It shouldn't matter to you where I am." I growled, wanting to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

"Well, I do." She hissed at me. She was getting me more and more pissed with every syllable she spoke.

"Ow ow ow ow. Bella? Bella? Love?" Edward moaned next to me. I turned to look at him and I saw that he had a look of pain on his face. "Do you mind, unclenching your fist?"

I looked down at my fist and saw that my nails were digging into his side. I hadn't even realised what I was doing. I quickly unclenched my fist and rested my palm where I had hurt him.

"I'm sorry baby." I mumbled, kissing him softly on his lower jaw.

"Is _he_ there?" Renee growled at me down the phone.

"If you mean Edward, then yes he is." I retorted, my voice not much more tolerant than Renee's. "Now, what do you want?"

"I want you to come home." She hissed. "Now!"

"Um, well, sorry." I pretended to sound as though I was thinking about it. "No. I'm quite happy where I am right now."

"And where exactly is that?"

"I don't think I want to tell you that piece of information." I quipped, looking at Edward, who was grinning at me, trying not laugh.

"Bella." She sighed. "I know that you and _that boy_ are now _married_!!" Oops! She knew. Busted!

"What's your point?"

"I want you home. Now!" She snarled.

"Sorry, _Renee._" I snarled her name, knowing how she hated it when I used it. "I'm staying right where I am. I don't want to talk to you anymore. Stop calling me!" I hung up the phone and placed it on the bedside table, leaning back into Edward's side. "I hate talking to her at the moment." I sighed, pressing a soft kiss to Edward's exposed chest.

"I know, love." He kissed my forehead gently.

"She know we're married." I whispered softly as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Well, I guess it's better out in the open." He mumbled. "Right?"

"I guess so. Means we don't have to hide it from her anymore. Or worry about how she's going to react." My phone started buzzing again and I looked at the caller ID. "Argh!" I slammed the phone into the bed, not believing this woman.

"She calling again?!" He picked up the phone, looking at it his voice and expression disbelieving. Before I could stop him he answered the phone, flicking it to speakerphone. His expression was not one that I was familiar with. He was pissed. "Hello?"

"Where. Is. My. Daughter?" Renee hissed down the phone. "Put her on the phone. Now."

"You know what?" He looked at me, his eyes portraying what his calm voice did not. "I don't think I will."

"Excuse me?" I looked at Edward and I could feel my jaw dropping in disbelief. "How dare you talk to me like that you little-"

"You know, Renee, I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, because I thought that you were just looking out for your daughter. But, personally, I've had enough." My eyes widened as I listened to Edward basically telling my mother where to go. "Your behaviour is becoming ridiculuous now." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. "I know that you know Bella and I are married, and quite frankly there is nothing you can do about it. Everything is finalised and legal and we are very _very_ happy. And honestly, the way you're hounding Bella, is considered harrassment. Leave us alone." He snapped the phone shut and threw it in the draw that was in the top of his bedside cabinet before looking at me with a sheepish smile. "Sorry." He mumbled.

I looked at him in disbelief before crashing my lips to his and pushing him down into the softness of the mattress.

"Sorry?" I asked breathlessly, gazing down at him lovingly. "What on earth are you sorry for?"

"I shouldn't have answered the phone." He mumbled. "I could have handled that better."

I shook my head at him, smiling. "You handled that amazingly. I have never heard anyone put Renee in her place like that before." I giggled softly. "Imagine if she came face to face with the rest of your family."

"_That_ would be amusing." He chuckled, wrapping his arms around me and clutching me to his chest. "Now, you need to get ready to go out. I've planned what we're going to do today." He grinned at me and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Planning on telling me?" I asked, skeptically.

"Nope." He replied smugly, popping the "p".

"Please?" I whined.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Bella!" He moaned, his head flopping back onto the pillows. "Can't I surprise you?"

"No." I answered smugly, causing him to frown at me.

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because, why?"

"Because you know I don't like surprises." I reminded him, smirking at him. He knew that I didn't like surprises, just as he didn't. I was going to find out what was going to with him, if it took me all of my energy.

"I don't care." He smiled smugly at me. "Now. Go and get your ass in the shower."

"Or else…what?" I challenged.

"Or else…I won't be kissing you for the rest of our honeymoon." He smirked, knowing that he had me beat.

"Is that a threat?" I didn't know whether or not to believe him. He had spent years denying himself what he needed. Would he be able to do the same with my kisses. I liked to think not, but then again with Edward, you never know.

"Well," He smirked triumphantly, knowing he had me beat. "If you get ready now, then you won't have to find out will you?"

"I hate you." I growled at him.

He pouted at me. "No you don't. You love me." He grinned at me, relinquishing his hold on me. "Now, go on. Get your ass in that shower and get ready."

"Fine!" I scowled at him playfully and pushed myself off of him. "You'll get yours Mr. Cullen."

"Oh, is that so, Mrs. Cullen?" He asked playfully, propping himself up on his elbows, making himself look even more of a Greek God than he did already. I was having a hard time not jumping him then and there.

I grabbed some clothes before I walked into the bathroom, not bothering to lock the door. Hell, he was my husband. I didn't care whether or not he walked in while I was in the shower. He had seen me naked before. I turned on the shower and stepped in, letting the hot water wash away all the tension that had built up in my muscles over the course of the morning, what with Renee's phonecalls.

I grabbed my strawberry shampoo that we had brought with us and lathered my hair in it, revelling in the smell. Edward seemed to love the smell of my hair. I had no idea why. It wasn't anything special. It somehow seemed to entrance him. Something I found incredible. It was amazing to me, that I had the ability to do that to someone as God-like as him.

Washing out the shampoo, I ran conditioner through my hair before lathering myself in my strawberry bodywash. I rinsed myself down and grudgingly turned off the shower. I loved being in the shower. It made me feel safe for some reason.

The only other place I felt safe was in Edward's arm. No matter where it was, if I was with Edward, I was safe.

I stepped out of the shower and towelled myself dry, wrapping my hair up in a smaller towel. I dressed quickly, wanting to know what my surprise was, and hating Edward for it at the same time. He knew I hated surprises, and yet he revelled in springing them on me. I had married the devil. I smiled at my reflection, taking my hair out of the towel and brushing it through, letting it dry naturally.

I stepped out of the bathroom to find that Edward was already dressed and waiting for me. He looked gorgeous, standing there in his white button down shirt and casual jeans. I swear, if he hadn't planned something for us today, I wouldn't let him leave this room. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his jaw.

"Ready to go?" He asked, placing his hands on either side of my waist.

I nodded and he smile at me. I unwrapped my arms from his waist and he bent down, picking up a basket and two jackets. I raised my eyebrow curiously, silently asking what was going on. He just smiled at me and tapped his nose, signalling that it was a secret and I would find out in due time.

_Damn husband_, I thought, trying not to react to his obvious teasing.

We walked into the elevator and we settled against the wall as the doors closed. I rested my head on his shoulder and he kissed the top of my head, lovingly.

We walked through the lobby hand in hand, feeling every bit as carefree as we must have looked. I had left my phone up in the room, not wanting to be bothere by anyone today. Especially not Renee. Edward had his phone on him so that we had some method of communication.

We walked out of the front of the hotel and Edward hailed a cab, letting me get in first. He set the basket on the floor and I knew that I was going to find out where we were going now, as Edward had to tell the driver where he wanted to go.

I should have known that he wouldn't be that easy to figure out. He took a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the driver, who read it quickly and placed it into his pocket, giving Edward a knowing look.

_Damned men!_ I thought angrily as we pulled out onto the street.

"When am I going to find out where we're going?" I asked, my irritation coming through in my tone.

"When we get there." He smirked at me, pulling a blindfold out of the basket. I shook my head at him. There was no way that I was going to be blindfolded for this journey. "Please, love?" I shook my head again and he pouted at me, his gorgeous eyes showing the faintest essence of hurt. "You wouldn't want to ruin it, would you?"

"Oh, Edward, don't look at me like that." I moaned, trying my best to stay strong. "Please don't look at me like that, love." I glanced at him again and I felt my resolve shatter into a million pieces. "Alright." I threw my hands up in submission. "Alright! Do what ye will. I am at your mercy."

The smile that spread across his face was one of triumph. _God, I hate you sometimes, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen._ I grumbled inside my head. He shifted across and tied the blindfold securely around eyes. After making sure that I couldn't see anything he took my hand in his own. I hated how he was able to break me down so easily. No one else had this power over me.

Just my sodding husband.

I still wasn't used to that word.

I don't know how long we drove for, but Edward's hand never left mine while we were moving. The only time it did was when we stopped and he paid the driver, thanking him. He whispered for me to stay put for a moment, and I knew he was getting out of the cab and walking around to my side to help me out.

I trusted Edward.

He wouldn't let anything happen to me.

After I heard the cab door close, he took my hand firmly in his and led me slowly in the direction he was headed in. I had no idea where we were. All I knew was that I could hear people around us. People who were probably wondering what the hell was going on. I could also hear …… water? I couldn't be sure.

We walked for about ten minutes or so, and I knew that we were on grass, as I could feel the softness beneath my feet. We stopped and he whispered for me to stand still for a moment while he sorted everything out.

Moments later, I heard him walk up beside me, and he took my hand, gently leading me forwards. I felt the ground change ever so slightly underneath my feet, but I wasn't one hundred per cent sure about why. I was sure I would find out in a little while.

"You can sit down, love." He whispered in my ear and I gingerly sat down, indian style.

I felt his hands come up slowly behind my head and gently untie the blindfold. I kept my eyes closed as he removed it from me head, not wanting to see it until he said I could.

"You can open your eyes now love." He whispered, sitting right behind me. I could feel his breath on my neck and it made me shiver in pleasure.

I slowly opened my eyes and I felt my jaw drop at the sight.

We were sat on the stop of a hill. I hadn't even realised there were any hills in Chicago. The scene before us was beautiful. It didn't compare to the lushness of Forks, but it was amazing in its own right. We were sat a little way away from the bank of a river, which was flowing, shining a brilliant blue underneath the brilliant sunlight, it's rays bouncing off it, causing the river to glitter as though thousands of tiny diamonds were floating on its surface. All around the river bank there were clusters of trees. Not huge ones, little short stumpy ones, which to me were just cute. Even though there were buildings surrounding us, it felt natural. They weren't invading on the beauty of the area surrounding us. They were just there.

"Well?" Edward whispered in my ear, sitting behind me. "What do you think?"

"Edward." I breathed, not trusting my voice at all. "It's beautiful."

"I knew you'd like it." He wrapped his arms around my waist and I leaned back into him. "You see that building there?" He pointed and I nodded. "That's the Sears Tower." I smiled. "My parents used to bring me here before they died. We used to sit closer to the river bank. Every Sunday we'd come here." He didn't sound sad about this. He sounded … relieved … almost to be here. I had a feeling that this was one of his favourite places in the whole world.

And I could understand why.

It wasn't that it was beautiful, because it was. It was because it was something he knew from his life before the Cullens. It was probably the only place that wasn't tarnished, by the memory of his parents death. It was impossible to sit here, with this view and not see only the good things.

He leaned over and I saw the basket that I had forgotten all about. He opened it and I saw that he had gone so far as to pack a lunch for the two of us. Was there anything that this guy didn't think of. I swear, he had everything covered.

He took out several tupperware boxes, opening them as he placed them on the blanket that we were sitting on. He had everything. Sausage rolls, mini sandwiches, chips, fruit, little mini cakes, sodas and he even had mini garlic breads that he knew I loved. He had gone all out for today and I couldn't help but press my lips to his in a passionate kiss. I brushed my tongue against his bottom lip and he parted his mouth, instantly granting me access.

We sat there like that for a few moments, tongues gently caressing each other, before he pulled away chuckling.

"You're forgetting, we're in a public place love." He smiled my favourite grin at me.

"Oops." I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I turned back to the food that was laid out in front of me. "Edward, this is incredible." I looked back to him. "When did you do this?"

"Last night, just after you fell asleep." He grinned at me cheekily, and I scowled playfully at him.

"You ……" I tapped him on the nose. "Are the sneakiest, most adorable, caring, sweet husband any girl could ever wish for."

"Well I wouldn't go that far." He shrugged.

"I would." I nodded my head, picking up a mini garlic bread and popping it in my mouth. It felt like there was a mini explosion of flavour in my mouth as soon as it made contact with my taste buds. "Where did you get these?" I asked, still chewing.

"I, um, I made them." He smiled sheepishly as my eyes widened in surprise.

"You made these?" I asked him, not quite believing what I was hearing. He nodded, meeting my eyes slowly. I saw a little colour rise in his cheeks as he was obviously embarrassed at the revelation. "Why did I not know that you could cook?" I turned to face him, staring into his eyes.

"Well, considering my aversion to food, I didn't it would be that important." He shrugged, looking at the ground.

I placed my index finger underneath his chin and lifted his head up so he had to look at me. "Not important?" I couldn't believe him. "What are you talking about? These are delicious! You, mister, are doing _all_ the cooking when we get home."

"Oh, is that right?" He asked as I placed a sausage roll in my mouth, again relishing the taste as the food assaulted my taste buds.

I nodded, still chewing on the sausage roll. "Most definitely." I leaned forward and kissed him softly, gently running my hands through his hair.

I settled back down, leaning onto his chest, the both of us laughing and eating the food that Edward had prepared. For someone who had a huge problem with food, he was an incredible cook. I might have had some skills in the kitchen but they pale in comparison to this boys'. He was definitely doing the cooking when we got back to Forks.

But for now, we were both content in watching the river and families out enjoying the sunlight that beat down on them. We were happy in our own little world. Our own personal bubble, impenetrable to anyone on the outside. We didn't need anything else in the world at this moment in time.

All we needed was what we had.

Each other.

**So I flicked back to the honeymoon. I hope you liked it. :D  
I have a link to the view described on my profile. It's really pretty.  
Please review.  
xx**


	48. Lowered Inhibitions

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Hey, just to let you all know, I've posted a one-shot focusing on the day Edward's parents died.**

**I've dedicated it to Stephanie aka Daddy's Little Cannibal, may she be in a better place.**

**Head on over to my profile and check it out.**

**BPOV**

It was perfect.

Everything was absolutely perfect.

We sat in the park, in the same spot until the sun had gone down, and the city began to light up. I didn't want it to end, but sadly it had to.

That was the most perfect night of our honeymoon. And that was before we got back to the hotel room. I don't think I need to go into detail about what happened when we got back but it was so sweet and loving, so caring and tender. It was perfect.

And it was all down to one man.

Edward.

My husband.

And I don't think I could have found a more perfect husband if I had travelled up to heaven and picked out an angel to marry.

With what he'd been through I wouldn't have blamed him if he had been completely bitter and withdrawn, not giving a toss about anything in the world, other than his own misery. Even after coming out of the clinic. But he wasn't. He was kind and caring, he was loving and sweet, he put everyone else's comfort and happiness above his own and never said anything about it.

Sometimes I wished he wouldn't. But I could see in his eyes that it didn't matter how much I protested, he would always put me above himself. That was the way he was now that he was recovering. Something told me that he had always been like that. It had just gotten lost with all the pain.

So here we are. It's our last day in Chicago and even though he city held painful memories for him, I could tell that he didn't want to leave. Neither did I. Because being in Chicago, we were in our own little world. There were no responsibilities for either of us to face up to.

Going home meant going back to regular life. But my life would never be the same. Edward would always be an integral part of my existence.

Neither of us spoke about what we knew would be happening in a couple of weeks time. I didn't want to think about it. My only hope was that Charlie had managed to convince Renee that she was being ridiculous and that I had to stay in Forks. If she made me move, I was never going to forgive her. She thought that she was helping me by taking me away from Edward. What she had to realise, and what she would discover when I met up with her again was that she could never split us up. He was a part of me and I a part of him.

We were bound forever.

Even without marriage, we would be forever bound. The love I felt for Edward was epic. Hell, in my mind, it put Romeo and Juliet to shame, and seeing as they were practically my favourite romantic coupling ever, that was something that wasn't easily achieved.

Well, second favourite now.

We were silently packing up our luggage, getting ready for our flight back to Seattle. We didn't need to exchange anything to communicate. It was all there in our body langauge, in those sneak looks when the other wasn't looking. Yes, we were behaving like a couple of teenagers in the infatuation phase of their relationship, but we didn't care. It was just how we were with each other.

I was packing up the rest of the toiletries in the bathroom, that we wouldn't need the next morning, leaving out soaps, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and stuffing everything else into my little bag, when I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist.

"I don't want to go back to Forks." Edward moaned, placing his head on my shoulder.

"I know, love." I leaned my head back and rested it on his shoulder, turning to kiss his cheek gently. "But it's something we can't avoid. I don't think we'll be allowed to stay here indefinitely. Other than the fact, I know this place has to be costing a fortune."

"That's not a problem." He whispered in my ear, his breath sending a tingling sensation down my spine. He was always able to reduce my legs to rubber and turn me into a babbling fool without even trying. I hated him for it, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I know." I placed the bag down on the counter in front of me and turned in his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. "But I think our families would miss and worry about us if we just didn't go home."

"I guess so." He sighed and gently placed his forehead to mine.

"Everything packed up?" I asked quietly closing my eyes, and inhaling his deliciously sweet scent.

"Mmhmmm." He mumbled nodding his head slightly. "What shall we do tonight?"

"I don't know." I opened my eyes and leaned my head back, taking in each and every one of his beautiful features. How he could think that he wasn't attractive was beyond me. To me, and to others around him, he was a God. A regular Adonis. Okay, so that was a contradiction in terms. There was nothing regular about my husband, but he _was_ an Adonis. "Maybe we should stay in."

He pouted and shook his head. "Not a chance." He pulled me closer to him. "This is our last night in Chicago, and I am not spending it in a hotel room. Don't give me that look. I know what's going through your mind and we have plenty of time for that when we get home." _Damn! _He knew me too well. I knew _exactly_ how I wanted to spend my last night in Chicago. "Oh, I know." He grinned at me and disappeared into the bedroom.

"What?" I grabbed the bag I had placed on the counter and followed him into the bedroom. He wasn't there. Looking around, I wandered into the main living room and saw he was on the phone. "Edward?" He looked at me and held up a finger. I looked at him skeptically as he finished his conversation.

"That's great. Thank you." He closed his phone and grinned at me as I walked over to him slowly.

"What was that?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

"Nothing." He replied innocently.

"Edward." I stared into his eyes, and found they gave nothing away. "What. Was. That?"

"It's a surprise." He smirked knowingly at me and I scowled at him. "Don't start with that 'you know I don't like surprises' crap, because you know what? It's the last day of my honeymoon with my beautiful, amazing wife and I am going to surprise her and spoil her rotten and I really don't care what she has to say about it."

_Well that shut me up!_ I really couldn't argue with that could I? Well, technically I could, but I wasn't going to. Mostly, because I couldn't think of a damned thing to say.

He kissed me on the forehead and grabbed his wallet off of the table.

"Where are you going?" I asked, getting slightly worried now.

"I've just got some things I need to pick up." He smiled at me. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a little while." He walked over to me and kissed me gently, running his fingers across my cheek before he turned and walked out of the door.

Should I be worried about what he has planned?

That at the moment was a loaded question.

I knew for a fact that Edward wouldn't hurt me, in any way at all, but he would go to the extreme in surprises and embarrass me. Not intentionally of course, but any kind of surprise embarrassed me.

I wandered around the suite, wondering what to do with myself as I waited for Edward to get back. I sat down on the couch in our bedroom and picked up a book that I had snuck past Alice, just in case Edward did go out. I had been reading it for about half an hour when my phone went off and I saw I had a text from Edward.

_Hop in the shower and be ready to go in an hour._

_My Love_

_E x_

That boy could be so cryptic sometimes, but I decided to indulge him, so I grabbed a towel and my bathrobe, that was supplied by the hotel and grabbed the bag of toiletries that I had packed away. Hopping in the shower, I found myself wondering what Edward could have planned for this evening. It was going to have to be good to top our night in the park.

After I have washed my hair thoroughly and scrubbed every single inch of my I could find I hopped out of the shower and dried myself down with the towel. I grabbed the hairdryer that was in built into the wall and attacked my hair with it. I knew I should have done but I couldn't be bothered doing anything with it. If I had my way it would only end up getting ruined by the end of the night anyway. And I was sure as hell getting my way.

I decided to do my make-up before I left the bathroom, taking full advantage of the use of the bathroom while I could. I applied a small amount of powder, and a slight amount of eyeliner, just enough to make my eyes pop. I added a small amount of nude lipgloss to my lips and zipped my make-up bag up. Edward preferred it when I went more natural. He wasn't a fan of make-up, saying he preferred to see my skin unmarred by uneccessary cosmetics. He always knew what to do and say to make me feel like a goddess.

I grabbed my make-up bag, leaving the toiletries in there in case Edward wanted a quick shower before we left.

I opened the door to find him sitting on the bed, seemingly waiting for me to return. He stood up and walked over to me, making me feel a million dollars even though I was still only in my bathrobe.

He leaned down and pressed his lips gently to mine and smile.

"Do I get to find out what this surprise is yet?" I asked hopefully.

He shook his head, grinning at me. "Nope." He said popping the "p". "But I do have a smaller surprise for you on the bed." He pointed behind him and kissed my forehead gently, before disappearing into the bathroom.

I walked over to the bed and found two boxes sitting on his side. I really didn't like surprises or presents and he knew this, but in the end my curiosity won control and I opened the larger of the two boxes.

I couldn't control the gasp at what I found in there.

It was a dress.

I lifted it out to find that it was a beautiful blue tulip dress. It had a plunging neckline that fed down into an empire line. It criss-crossed at the back and fell to, what I was guessing was about mid-thigh. It was beautiful. And of course it was in the shade of blue Edward liked to call "Bella-Blue". It was his favourite colour on me and I couldn't help but smile.

Grinning like the fool I was, I slipped on some lingerie I had snuck off to buy when Edward wasn't around. Thinking it over, and doing something completely out of character, I discarded the panties, giving Edward something to look forward to when we got back to the hotel and slipped the dress on. Doing something like this was so unlike me, but I wanted to give Edward something a little back for the dress.

I opened the second box and found that it was a pair of shoes. Thankfully they weren't deathtraps like the ones that Alice would have had me wear. They were satin, in the same shade of blue as the dress, with a heel of about an inch.

I slipped them on just as Edward walked out of the bathroom, already dressed in a deep blue button down shirt and black dress pants. His hair was in its normal disarray, and slightly darker than normal, considering it was still wet.

I stood up and walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his.

"Thank you." I whispered and he grinned at me.

Tonight was going to be perfect.

**EPOV**

I wasn't sure how she was going to react to the dress and shoes. I knew she didn't like surprises but I figured, it's the last night of our honeymoon, she can't really hold anything against me. Can she?

Getting back to the hotel I placed the boxes on the bed and waited for her to finish whatever it was she was doing in the shower. What girls did in there I had no idea. Whatever it was, it took them forever. I had learned a long time ago, not to ask.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she may have been wearing her bathrobe, but she was still as sexy as hell and I had to get in the shower as quickly as possible, before all of my plans for the evening were completely disregarded.

I jumped in the shower and washed myself down quickly, not wanting to waste any time.

I hopped out of the shower and towelled myself down, grabbing the shirt and pants that I had brought in with me. I hoped she liked the dress. The assistant in the shop I went into was extremely helpful when helping me pick it out. She thought that it was sweet and endearing what I was doing. She had been flirting with me until I told her it was for my wife, and she had spotted the ring glinting on my finger. She smiled at me in a way that said "oh well, you win some, you lose some." I couldn't help wishing that some people from my past would get that kind of attitude.

All I had to tell her was what colour I wanted it in, and she asked me some things about Bella, appearently gauging what type of dress she would like from her personality in accordance to the answers I gave.

Why girls liked shopping so much, I'll never know.

She did the same with the shoes, and had originally pulled out a pair of six inch things that Bella would have definitely broken her neck, ankle or possibly both in. Those were discarded quickly, for another pair of smaller heels. Those were the ones I went for. I just hoped she liked them.

I opened the door to see her sitting on the bed, doing up her shoes. She looked phenomenal. It was all I could do not to forget about everything I had planned for this evening and go with her plan of staying in.

She walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down to meet her in a tender kiss. "Thank you." She whispered in my ear and me being the idiot I was, couldn't do anything but grin. How the hell did she have this effect on me? Oh well, I wasn't complaining.

"Come on," I whispered, taking her hands in mine grabbing both of our jackets and leading her into the elevator that would lead us out of the hotel.

Getting outside, she went to walk to the taxi rank, but I held her hand tightly.

"What is it?" She asked, looking at me confused.

I shook my head at her. "We're not getting a cab tonight, love." I looked up as our car arrived. She turned around and her jaw dropped when she saw the limo pulling up beside us. She turned back to look at me a small, playful scowl on her face as the driver stepped out of the car and opened the door, gesturing for us to climb in.

"You are ……" I cut her off with a kiss.

"Get in." I mumbled, pulling her towards the limo. I waited for her to get in before climbing into the car myself.

"This is …… too much, Edward." She whispered as I sat down next to her and the door closed.

"Nothing is too much for you, my love." I whispered back wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close to my chest. She sighed and gazed out of the window.

I heard her giggling as she gazed out of the window and I looked down at her. "It's amusing watching people outside." She giggled. "They see the limo and obviously think that some sort of celebrity is around."

I couldn't help but chuckle as I looked out the window. It was true. As soon as people saw the limo, they immediately squinted, obviously trying to see who was inside. I couldn't help but laugh at some people's idiocy.

I guess what they say is true: A _person_ is smart. _People_ are brainless.

At least that's what Carlisle told me anyway. When he had become so cynical I didn't know. I'd always thought that was my job, but oh well.

We pulled over and stopped outside the same park that I had brought Bella to earlier on in our honeymoon. She looked out the window and I saw her eyes light up as she turned to smile at me. She loved this park now. It had become our spot in Chicago.

Tonight there was an orchestral band playing tonight. It was something I knew Bella would love, as she loved the classics as much as I did. I had learned that they were playing a mixture of classical and impressionist works. It was something I hoped she would enjoy.

"Edward, this is beautiful." She mumbled, resting her head on my shoulder.

The whole park had been transformed. A gazebo had been set up for the band to play on and there were fairy lights and lamps everywhere, giving the park a sort of wonderland feel.

We walked over to where they were playing, seeing as we were slightly late. The band had just struck up playing an orchestral version of Moonlight Sonata. It sounded beautiful, and as I looked down at Bella I saw that her eyes were alive in wonderment. She was completely enraptured.

I looked back to the band and continued to listen to the performance. At least I did until I felt Bella's hand snake its way around my neck.

I looked at her and she pulled me down, crashing her lips to mine. We we pulled away I saw that her eyes were shining with more than just excitement. What was she planning?

"Let's go sit." She whispered in my ear, her warm breath starting something quite inappropriate. All I could do was nod as we walked over to a large tree and sat down on our jackets that I placed on the ground.

She sat in between my legs and sighed gently as she closed her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and rested my head on top of mine, smiling as I did so. I could hear the soft melodies playing around us and nothing in this world could have snapped me out of my dreamlike state.

Or so I thought.

To say that I was mildly surprised when I felt Bella's lips sucking and tugging on my earlobe, and her hand snake its way down in between my legs would be an understatement. My eyes snapped open and I saw her grinning at me, her eyes filled with lust.

Where had _this_ Bella come from?

As she continued her assault on my throat I felt myself becoming hard, to the point of pain and I felt her grin as she pressed hot, wet, open-mouthed kisses on my throat, sucking and nipping as she went.

"Now, love." I managed to choke out. "Don't start something you can't finish."

"Who says I can't finish it?" She mumbled against my throat. "No one can see us." I looked around, and realised that I hadn't even noticed that we were concealed from the rest of the park. How had I not noticed that before? More importantly, Bella was going to use that to her advantage. "See?" She pulled away from me and turned around so that she was facing me. "So stop worrying." All I could do was whimper as she placed her hands on my shoulders and pushed me back so I was lying flat out on the ground.

She was serious.

I mean, I know we'd done it outside before, but that was when we were alone. Not when we could easily be overheard by a couple of hundred people.

She placed a leg either side of my hips so that she was straddling me and crashed her lips to mine. Whatever this Bella had done with my wife, she could do it more often. I could definitely get used to this Bella.

I couldn't help the moan that escaped my throat as she began to unbutton my shirt and pressed hot open-mouthed kisses up and down my chest, licking her way along my collarbone as she went.

I ran my hands up her thighs and underneath her dress, needing to be inside her now. I got a mild surprise when I found that there was nothing underneath her dress.

"Bella!" I scolded playfully and she smiled at me, sneakily. Whether or not she had been planning this I didn't know, but I wasn't complaining. Just one less thing to get rid of, I guess.

As she pressed her lips to mine again, I felt her hands run down my chest and unbutton my pants. She pushed my pants and underwear down, freeing me from the confines of the material. She grinned at me, before attacking my lips with hers before sliding onto me. I moaned into her mouth at the contact. Even though we had made love practically every night since we had arrived in Chicago, there was something different about this. Maybe it was because we were outside and there was a high risk of getting caught. Whatever it was, I didn't know, but I was sure as hell enjoying it.

She pulled back as she began to move on top of me, smiling at me, her eyes filled with the same lust and longing I was sure was shining from my own. I could feel that familiar coil of pleasure winding tighter and tighter waiting to let loose as she moved on top of me. I pulled her closer to me and began running kisses up and down her neck, savouring the taste of her on my lips and tongue.

I could feel her tensing around me which meant the was close to the release that was threatening to explode from me at the same time. She began to move harder and faster on top of me and I had a difficult time not shouting out in pleasure as she did so. I could see that she was having as difficult a time as I was, as she neared her climax.

After a few more moments, I felt her tense around me completely as she slammed her lips to mine, earning a gutteral moan from me as I exploded into her. I was thankful that she crushed her lips to mine when she did because I don't think I could have held in the deep cry of ecstasy that would have come from me as I rode out my orgasm alongisde her.

She looked me in the eyes, her deep chocolate orbs still filled with lust as she slowly slid off of me.

"That, um …… wasn't planned." She whispered, pulling her dress down as I pulled my pants back up and fastened the button, missing the feeling of her surrounding me.

"No," I pressed my lips to hers as she lay down next to me. "But it was fucking good."

"Damn straight." She mumbled against my lips running her hand up and down my chest, before slowly buttoning up my shirt. "What else have you got planned? Or was this it?"

"Um, no." I shook my head. "I was planning on a meal, but I don't think I'm hungry for food anymore."

She grinned at me, slyly, her eyes shining as she sat up. "Well, why don't we go and get some food and then see where that takes us."

"I already where it's going to take us." I mumbled, pulling her back down and enveloping her lips in my own in a passionate kiss.

"Easy there tiger." She giggled, standing up and fixing her dress. "Come on." I stood up next to her and wrapped my arm around her before leaning down to pick up our jackets.

I couldn't help the huge grin that spread across my face as Bella and I walked out of the park hand in hand. This park was definitely special to us now. And the reasons why would stay between the two of us. No one else.

We climbed into the limo that had been waiting for us and I wrapped my arms around her as we drove to the resturant. I didn't want to go anywhere that was too extravagant, as I knew that Bella wouldn't be happy if we did. She hated people spending money on her, however much it was.

We pulled up to the resturant _Angelina Ristorante_ and stepped out onto the street. Walking into the resturant, we found that it was warm and inviting. I had heard that the food here was first-class and I wanted Bella to enjoy every moment.

"Two under Cullen." I said as we approached the hostess. She looked me up and down, giving me a sly smile and completely ignoring Bella.

"Follow me." She said in what I suspected was meant to be a seductive voice as she turned around and walked ahead of us. I didn't know what was up with her, but I knew that a girl or woman's hips were _not_ meant to sway that much. Whatever she was attempting to offer couldn't compare to the woman in my arms. In any way. She led us to a table in the back of the resturant and I pulled out Bella's chair, letting her sit down first. "You waiter will be out in a moment."

We thanked her before she left, still walking in the same way as before. I shook my head lightly and Bella giggled.

"What?" I asked, smiling at her.

"The word 'desperate' comes to mind." She giggled.

"Bella!" Seriously! Where had this new Bella come from? Had someone abducted my wife and replaced her with someone else while I was out earlier? It sure seemed like it. "Don't say that."

"Why not? I mean, the way she was looking at you, even though it's obvious you're taken." She shrugged her shoulders, smiling at me again. She knew she could get me with that smile, and she used it whenever she felt the need.

"Good evening, my name is Jason. I'll be your server this evening." I looked up at the waiter to see that his eyes were glued on Bella. I felt a pang in my chest and Bella giggled, looking at me. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"I'll have a coke." She replied, gently rubbing the back of my hand with her fingers, her eyes never leaving mine. "What'll you have baby?"

"Make that two." I ordered, smiling at Bella. He didn't seem to get the message so I looked up at him, raising my eyebrows. He tore his eyes away from Bella and scurried off, which caused Bella to giggle even more. "What?"

"Jealous are we?" She giggled. "May I remind you it was _you_ I was fucking in a park not half an hour ago." She added, gently running her foot up the inside of my calf, making my eyes go wide. She had discarded her shoe and was now making tiny patterns on the inside of my knee with her toes.

"What is with you tonight?" I asked her, smiling at her mischievous expression.

She shrugged, playing with the breadsticks on our table. "Is it wrong of me, to want to entertain my husband?" She asked innocently, batting her eyelashes at me.

"No, but I think it would be better received if it was in less public places." I pointed out and she scowled playfully at me.

"Now where's the fun in that?" She asked, her foot running up the inside of my thigh.

I had remind myself to say composed as our waiter came back with our drinks. He was gazing at Bella, completely oblivious to what she was doing to me underneath the table. She smirked at me as we ordered our meals, knowing exactly what she was doing. Who knew she had it in her?

She didn't relent on her assault on me underneath the table until it was time to leave. I thought that by the time we left, I was going to explode. How I managed to hide it as we left the resturant and climbed into the limo I had no idea.

"You. Are. In. Trouble. " I scolded her as we began moving. _Thank God you can't hear anything from the front of the car_. I thought gratefully.

"Oh, am I?" She giggled, pressing her lips to mine. Her hand snaked its way down between my legs, rubbing me through my pants. I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my lips as she did this. This girl was seriously trying to kill me. "Am I really?"

"Fuck yes!" I growled… that's right … growled at her, pulling her closer to me. She giggled and continued to rub me through my pants as my hand slid up her thigh and found her wet centre. She let out a soft gasp as I gently massaged her most sensitive spot.

All too soon, the car pulled over and we were back at the hotel. We climbed out of the car, not needing to pay him as that had all been paid for by card over the phone when I had booked it earlier on in the day. We said thank you to the driver and practically ran through the lobby and into the elevator that would take us up to our suite. I didn't wait until we got up there, before attacking her lips with mine.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs snaked their way around my waist. Thank fuck we didn't have to walk down a corridor before reaching our room. At this rate I don't think I would have gotten there.

I heard the elevator ding as the doors opened and I walked slowly, still supporting Bella, holding her close to me, our lips still moving in complete synchronicity into the bedroom.

I laid her down on the bed and before I knew what was happening all clothes had disappeared and I was inside of her again. This was not lovemaking. This was sex, plain and simple. This was based on pure need and lust and it's what we both wanted right now.

All I can say, is this was most definitely the best night of our honeymoon.

/////////////////////////

**BPOV**

Last night was incredible.

Don't ask me where all the courage came from last night, because I sure as hell don't know. It was as though, someone had dropped a veil over the smart side of my brain and was pushing the hormonal side out. What can I say, I enjoyed it. And so it would seem, did Edward.

I was sad that we had to leave Chicago. I didn't want to go back to Forks.

I wanted this to continue.

I wanted more nights like last night. And _those_ surely weren't going to happen in Forks.

Nevertheless, we had to get up to catch our flight. I rolled over and gazed at my gorgeous husband for a moment, before pressing my lips to his gently. My own personal method of waking him up. I felt him smile underneath my kiss and I pulled away.

He grabbed me and pulled me closer to him. I relished the feeling of his naked body pressed against mine. Even this early in the morning.

I pressed a kiss to his shoulder and pushed myself away from him gently. "Come on, tiger. We've got to get up now."

"Why?" He moaned, burying his head into the pillow, not letting me go.

"Because we have a flight to catch." I giggled. He was like a child sometimes, but I couldn't help but love him. I had thought that _I_ had problems waking up in the morning. Hell, they were nothing compared to Edward's. He loathed the morning more than I did. "Come on."

"No." He wiggled his head underneath the pillow, effectively hiding his face. I wriggled free and got out of bed, grabbing my bathrobe off of the hook on the door before turning back to face him. He hadn't moved.

"Edward!" I scolded him. No response. I sighed. "Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!"

"I'm up!" His head shot out from underneath the pillow. "I'm up!" I shook my head at him as he flopped back down on the bed. Using his full name was the only thing anyone could do to get him to pay real attention to them. I don't know why. It was the same with the rest of the Cullen kids as well.

Of course I used his full name in another context entirely, but we're not going to go into that just now.

I walked around the bedroom, picking up the discarded clothes from the night before, smiling as I did so. Edward sat up and was rubbing the sleep from his eyes, gazing at me intently as I did so. He smirked at me, obviously remembering last night as well.

"Come on." It felt like I was getting a child ready for school. But then again, I _did_ have plans for that to happen, so I might as well get in all the practise I can right now.

He got out of bed and threw his robe on as well, walking up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Do we have to go back to Forks?"

I nodded. "I remember you said something along the same lines as that yesterday." I turned around and pressed my lips to his before unwrapping his arms from my waist and throwing some clothes at him. "Come on, we have to check-out in half an hour."

I looked at my watch and saw that it was 12:30PM. We had to check out at 1PM, so we did indeed have half an hour to check out. Thankfully our flight was at two, so we could grab a cab and get there on time.

He mumbled something, but still got dressed anyway. Neither of us bothered with showers as we knew that we would just end up smelling like airplane when we got back anyway. I got dressed and we packed up the rest of our belongings into our cases. We called for a bus boy to come and get our bags and a few minutes later we were in the elevator on the way down.

Remembering our first journey in this elevator I pushed Edward into the corner and crashed my lips to his. When we pulled apart, he was grinning furiously at me. I rubbed the end of his nose with mine gently, smiling as furiously as he was, before the elevator doors opened and the busboy met us at the front desk. We handed over our room keys and Edward confirmed that the bill would be paid at the end of the week before we left.

We hailed a cab and piled our suitcases into it. I was sad to say goodbye to the hotel. It held a lot of good memories for me. I hoped that we would be able to come back at some point. Recreate a couple of them.

We reached the aiport and had to wait around a while after checking in and having our baggage taken.

As Edward and I reached the gate where we had to wait to board I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep and passionate kiss. He seemed eager to reciprocate and he intensified the kiss.

"_Boarding call. Flight 429 to Port Seattle is now boarding. Flight 429 to Seattle is now boarding."_

"That's us love." Edward whispered in my ear as we pulled apart. If I could have I would have destroyed that damned speaker. "Come on." He could see the scowl forming on my face as he kissed the end of my nose. I felt my face relaxing into a smile as we boarded the plane.

As I settled back into the seat, I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder as he strapped himself in. I was sat there hoping that I wouldn't be sat next to some old man who smelled like onions, but then again, this was first class so I doubted it.

As it turned out, no one sat next to me, which left me free to slip off my shoes and rest my feet on the seat. As soon as the seatbelt sign flashed off I wriggled round, resting me feet on the seat and I placed my head in Edward's lap. He smiled down at me, as he began running his hand through my hair. I picked up the book that I had snuck on our honeymoon and started reading. I glanced up to see that Edward had his eyes closed and a small smile playing on his lips.

I didn't even realise how much time had passed before I heard the pilot calling through, requesting everyone prepare for landing. I looked out the window and saw that it was dreary and raining. Not that I should be surprised.

"Edward." I called lightly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Edward, love, we're in Seattle." He opened his eyes and blinked at me a few times.

We buckled ourselves, in packing away everything we'd gotten out over the course of the flight, before we landed.

Getting off the plane, it wasn't really cold at all, it was just raining, but then again, we couldn't really expect anything else from the Pacific Northwest could we?

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait for long for our connecting flight to Port Angeles. A little under half an hour. Within no time, we were on the little plane that would take us into the tiny airport in Port Angeles, where Carlisle and Esme would be waiting to pick us up. Even though I didn't want to come back from Chicago, I did miss the people here over the last two weeks.

Just as planned, as soon as we collected our luggage and walked out of the airport we saw Carlisle's black Mercedes, both Carlisle and Esme leaning against it waiting for us. As soon as they saw us, the smiles that adorned their faces were priceless. They both pushed themselves off of the car and quickly walked towards us.

"Oh, Bella." Esme crooned as she pulled me into a hug. "I hope you had a good time."

"That we did." I grinned at her as she pulled back from me and enveloped Edward into a huge hug. I saw him tense up slightly, but other than that he was perfectly fine. Maybe Derek had been wrong about him not getting over his fear of human contact. I hugged Carlisle and he grabbed my bags, throwing them into the trunk of the Mercedes.

"So, how was Chicago?" Carlisle asked and Edward and I looked at each other before launching into a mild telling of our time in Chicago. I didn't think Carlisle and Esme would appreciate knowing _everything_ that happened whilst we were there, though I knew that their children wouldn't be as forgiving.

We talked for pretty much the whole hour about where we went, what we did and such and I knew that Edward wanted to talk to Carlisle in private about the day he went to see his parents. He wanted to know what could be done about the nightmares he was having, though they had become less frequent over the second week, I could see that they were bothering him.

We turned into the Cullens' extensive driveway after about an hour, and I looked around confused. I would have thought that we would be going to the house that Carlisle and Esme had had built for us. I still couldn't believe that they had done that for us. It _was_ too much, but if I knew the Cullens' as well as I thought I did, there was no point in arguing.

"Alice and the others would skin us alive if they knew that you were back and we hadn't brought you round first." I nodded my head in understanding. Of course it was Alice. It was always Alice.

We rolled up to the house and Edward and Carlisle got out of the car, opening the doors for Esme and myself. _Now I know where he gets that from_. I thought climbing out of the car.

As soon as we were inside the door, all I saw was a streak of black in front of me before I was being crushed by the worlds tiniest weightlifter.

"Alice, let her go." Esme scolded and Alice let me go, jumping on her brother instead. He _was_ getting better with contact. Something I was happy about. He needed to get over that particular barrier.

"Hey, you two." Emmett called grinning at the two of us. "Have a good time?" He wiggled his eyebrows at us suggestively, before Rosalie smacked him upside the head. That boy couldn't be subtle if he tried to.

I grabbed Edward's hand and we all made our way through to the living room, where we were bombarded with questions ranging from "how was the flight?" from Esme, to "how many times?" from Emmmett. Needless to say, we ignored all of Emmett's questions, about which he was extremely put out.

Just then the doorbell rang, and I leapt up to get it, thankful for the excuse of escape from my family's questions. My family. _My_ family. I smiled to myself as I walked to the door. Yes, I had considered them my family before I married Edward, but now they really _were_ my family.

I opened the door to the last person I expected to see standing there. And that is _not_ a cliché line. I really didn't expect them there.

"Mom?"

**I thought I'd throw in a little HornyEdward and SneakyBella. :D  
I thought they needed to drop all inhibitions and just let go for once. And it worked heehee.**


	49. Family Feuds

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**Wow! It seems that all of you are **_**very**_** fond of HornyEdward and SneakyBella. They were a lot of fun to write ******** I'm sorry to say I don't know when they'll be resurfacing seeing as you all probably know there's going to be a lot of arguments in this and probably the next chapter.**

**I'll let you get on with reading the story now :)**

_Just then the doorbell rang, and I leapt up to get it, thankful for the excuse of escape from my family's questions. My family. _My_ family. I smiled to myself as I walked to the door. Yes, I had considered them my family before I married Edward, but now they really _were_ my family._

_I opened the door to the last person I expected to see standing there. And that is __not__ a cliché line. I really didn't expect them there._

"_Mom?"_

**BPOV**

What the hell was she doing here?

She was standing there a smug but angry smile on her lips. Why the hell was she in Forks?

My thoughts went to one reason and one person only.

_Jacob_.

He had obviously called my Mom up and told her about the wedding. Well, sorry Jacob. You missed it. Would have loved to have sent you an invite, but we didn't want any crashers.

As soon as my mind adjusted to the realisation that she was actually standing in front of me, I felt the anger welling up in my chest. Was it not enough for her that she's taking me away from my home? My new family? My love? But she actually has to come here and ruin the short amount of time I do have with them.

"What are you doing here?" I managed to choke out the venom clear in my voice. The anger leaking through even though I tried to keep myself calm.

"Is that any way to greet your mother?" She asked, her tone full of disdain.

"Well, I don't know. I've already greeted Esme, but I don't see anyone else that's acted like a mother to me standing here." I crossed my arms and stared her down.

"How dare you talk to me like that?" She was angry now. Good! Maybe if I got her worked up, she would be somewhere close to where I was at the moment.

"What do you mean 'how dare I?'" I shot back. "Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing? What the hell are you doing here Renee?"

"Well." She straightened herself out. "I had come here in the hopes of stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life, but I see that you _father_ has already allowed for that to go ahead. Now I guess it's up to me to rectify it."

"Rectify what?" I snapped back at her. "My marriage?" She grimaced at the mention of my being married. "Yes, Renee, that's right, I'm married!" I held up my left hand showing her the exquisite engagement ring that lay there, now coupled with the equally extravagant wedding band. Her eyes flew wide as she took in the two rings that symbolled my love for Edward. "You were too late. There is _nothing_ you can do about it."

"Actually yes there is." She shot back. "I still hold primary custody over you. You're coming back to Phoenix and we're going to stop this façade immediately."

"What façade?" I scoffed at her. "Just because you don't like Edward, for _what_ reason I don't know. You haven't even met him Renee! You have no idea what he's like."

"I have a pretty good idea." She glared back at me, and I wanted to string Jacob up by his balls and slowly torture him to death. I might ask for Rose and Alice's help with that one. They'd be all too willing.

"How? Because Jacob told you? Renee, Jacob is jealous! That is all. He likes me, I know this. And you know what? I _don't_ like him back. I never have done, never will. And that would be the case even if Edward hadn't come along. He can't seem to accept the fact that it will never happen between the two of us. He can't accept the fact that Edward and I are together." I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down before I physically launched myself at this woman who liked to call herself my mother.

"I know that's not all the reasoning behind Jacob's actions." Renee shook her head. "He's only trying to protect you Bella."

"From what?" I threw my hands in the air. "From being happy? From love? No. Jacob is just a petty child with a crush. He might think that it's love, but if he loved me then he would at least be happy for me. And he would leave well enough alone."

"You don't seem to understand how dangerous this boy is." She was pleading with me now, trying to make it seem as though she was right.

"Dangerous?" I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest. "What makes him so dangerous? Huh? Come on Renee, tell me? Could it be … the fact that he _was_ being held back by his past and has now overcome it? Or maybe it's the fact that he's more confident than he was a year ago? Or perhaps it's because he's learned to trust himself and other people again?" I glared at her, letting her feel my anger through my eyes. "So come on, Renee! Which one is it?"

"I know that there's more to what happenes with that boy than you're letting on." She shook her head. "Look, Bella, I don't know what he's done to make you so blind. You used to be such a good judge of character. What happened?"

"Nothing happened!" I snarled through gritted teeth.

"Obviously it did." She sighed, obviously frustrated. "Now come on, let's get you home and we'll pack up your stuff. We're on an early morning flight back to Phoenix tomorrow." She made to move towards me but I too a step back into the house.

"I am home." I told her, closing the door in her face.

"Bella!" She shouted through the door, as she began banging on it again. "Bella! Open this door right now!"

"Love what's happened?" Edward asked, rushing over to me and wrapping his arms around me. I relaxed into his embrace, inhaling his soft, sweet smell. He made me feel safe and secure. He made me feel loved. I pulled back and I saw him gazing down at me, his eyes full of worry, concern and love. I couldn't help the tears that spilled down my cheeks as I buried my head back into his chest. He was all I needed.

All I needed was Edward.

"What's going on?" Emmett's worried voice sounded through the hallway and I turned to see the whole family standing there with concerned looks on their faces. They were all looking between Edward and myself and the banging that was coming from the other side of the door.

Carlisle stepped around the two of us and made his way to the door.

"Love, what's going on?" Edward asked, running his thumb over my cheeks, wiping away tears that I hadn't even realised were falling. "What's happened?"

"Renee's here." I sobbed quietly, bunching my fists into his shirt.

"Oh dear." Alice mumbled quietly, looking between us and where Carlisle was standing at the door.

"How long has she been here?" Edward asked, looking around at his family. "Well?"

"She got here about two days after you left for your honeymoon." Esme admitted softly. "We didn't call you because we didn't want anything disrupting your time together."

"That's why she kept calling." I sniffled, as Edward gently ran his fingers through my hair and rubbed small circles on my back. The same method I used to calm him down. "She found out about us getting married and she wanted to ruin it for us."

"Good thing we didn't pick up then wasn't it?" He chuckled.

"Apart from that one time you told her where to go." I choked out a laugh and he grinned down at me.

The banging on the door continued and Carlisle opened the door slowly. "Renee, what can we do for you?" He asked in a cool, calm voice.

"You can give me my daughter." She spat back icily.

How dare she talk to Carlisle like that? He was one of the kindest, most generous people I knew. She had no right to talk to him that way.

"She's right here." Carlisle gestured to me and Edward and Renee's cold stare became a look of pure hatred when she saw Edward's arm wrapped around me in a loving embrace.

"We're going home." She spat coldly, ignoring Edward after her initial glare. "Now!"

"I _am_ home." I replied, wrapping my arms around Edward, squeezing him to me tightly. He squeezed me back with the same amount of pressure, pressing a soft kiss to the top of my head. This did very little to appease Renee. Actually, she looked as though she was going to explode.

"Bella, you are really trying my patience." She snarled through gritted teeth.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?" Edward spoke up calmly, his voice sounding just like Carlisle's did as he opened the door.

"Edward." I called softly. I didn't want him to become actively involved in this. "Don't-"

"No, love." He looked down at me before turning his head back up so he could look at my mother. "What gives you the right to come in here and ruin people's happiness?"

"Look, boy, I know all about you. So don't you even think about trying to mess with me."

"Oh, no, she did not!" Alice stepped forward, but was stopped by Edward holding up a hand in front of her, his eyes never leaving Renee's face. I hated to admit it, but Edward could be pretty damn intimidating when he wanted to be. No wonder he was able to freak out so many psychiatrists.

"It's okay, Alice." He said softly and she looked at him skeptically, obviously wondering whether or not to trust her brother's judgement. I remembered what had happened at the beach, and how he had felt afterwards. I made eye contact with Alice and nodded, indicating that he be allowed to fight this on his own. She huffed slightly, but didn't say anything.

"So what is it that you think you know, Renee?" He asked her calmly. "What is it that you think you know about me?" She didn't answer him straight away, obviously wondering what to do, now that her reason for coming here was standing there staring her in the face. "Come on. I'm waiting. Unless you really _don't_ have a respectable reason for showing up."

"How dare you?" She spat at him. I was thankful that Carlisle was standing next to the doorway, and that Emmett had moved to stand behind him. I didn't want Renee to have the chance of attacking Edward. Who knows what that may result in. "I'm doing what's best for my daughter."

"By taking her away from her home?" Edward countered, still using that unnervingly calm voice of his. "By taking her away from her friends and family? Those she loves?"

"I _am_ her family." Renee retorted, not liking the fact that Edward was standing up to her. She obviously hadn't been expecting that.

"Not her only family anymore." Esme put in, coming to stand by Edward and myself. _She_ was the mother that I wished Renee was at this moment in time. She was happy for us. She welcomed our relationship, our _marriage_ because she saw that it was more than just a high school fling. She saw that we were in it for the long haul. Why couldn't Renee see that?

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Bells has been apart of our family long before she married Edward." Emmett added. "She's been a sister to us since we first arrived here."

I couldn't help but smile at Emmett and when I looked at Edward I could see he was doing the same thing. Yes, they were helping fight this battle, but they weren't taking over as they had done in the past. They were just offering their opinions, which we both knew were needed in this fight.

"She was the only one that saw us as more than "the new kids"." Emmett continued. "She's been our sister since pretty much the first week we moved to Forks." Even though Emmett might not have been too keen on me being let into the family when it first came about he was as fierce and loyal in his defending of me as a brother should be. They really _were_ my family.

"As if _that_ matters." Renee scoffed. "I know what he's like. I _know_ where he's spent the majority of the last year, and if you think that I'm going to let my daughter stay with that-"

"I'd rethink your wording there, Renee." Edward cut her off, a knowing smile on his face. "Not a good thing to say when you're standing in front of my whole family, who I might add are _very_ protective."

"I don't care." She hissed, glaring at him as though it was an offense for him to be breathing the same air as her. "I know more than you think. And I am _not_ letting my daughter stay here."

"You keep saying "my daughter"." Edward stated and I looked up at him confused. "Maybe you should start acting like a proper mother."

"Why you little-"

"Ah ah ah ah!" Emmett held up his finger and motioned around to the whole family, lingering on Rose and Alice who looked more than ready to pounce on Renee. I wouldn't be stopping them, that's for sure.

"Let me guess you were about to reprimand me for speaking the truth?" Edward asked an accusing undertone in his voice.

"I'm surprised you know the meaning behind that word." She sneered at Edward.

"Renee!" I shouted, pushing away from Edward slightly, so that I could see her. He didn't let up on his embrace. I was grateful for that, because I didn't want to be anywhere else right now. "I suggest you leave. Now!"

"Bella!" She said her voice warning. "You _are_ coming back to Phoenix tomorrow, or else I will be getting the state police involved."

With that she turned and walked down the driveway and climbed into her car. I heard her start up the engine before Carlisle closed the door, his face grave.

This was going to be a long night.

**RPOV**

How dare that boy speak to me in that fashion?!

I can see what Jacob means when he speaks about him. He's so damn sure of himself. He needs to be brought down a peg or two if you ask me.

Well, he's not going to be anywhere near my daughter soon enough.

I'll make it so that he can't get anywhere near her again, without being arrested that is.

When she's safely back in Phoenix, I'll take a visit to the courthouse and take out a restraining order in Bella's name, saying that she's too traumatized by the whole experience with him to do it herself. If they demand that she be present, I'll create a scene, stating how they would be willing to put a young girls' safety in jeopardy because of a formality.

That would keep him away from her.

She might hate me for it to begin with, but she'll thank me in the end.

After that, I'll just have to work on getting that "marriage" of theirs dealt with.

How could she be so stupid?! Doesn't she realise that he's only using her? That he's bad for her?

Of course she doesn't, because he's managed to drag her under with his little web of lies. Thank God, Jacob was smart enough to fall for it. Unlike everyone else around him that is. Even Charlie! Even Charlie had been taken in by this boy! He's supposed to be the Chief of Police for heavens' sake! He used to have such a good judge of character.

The insolence of that boy! I was now even more grateful to Jacob for warning me about him.

Bella would thank me one day when she sees what a mess I've pulled her out of.

They probably think that I'm bluffing when I say I'll be going to the state police. I'm not. I'm deadly serious. I know that going to the Forks police would be a complete waste of time, seeing as Charlie's the Chief of Police. I wasn't backing down on this one.

I was going to get my daughter back, and I was going to keep him, that _Edward_ away from her.

No matter what it takes.

**EPOV**

I couldn't believe that that woman had given birth to my Bella.

They were complete polar opposites. I would have thought that someone like Bella would have come from someone as equally caring and kind. But it seems I was wrong. Her mother, from the impression I had just received, was neither of those things.

And I wasn't usually quick to judge people.

"Bella." I said softly. "Bella, love. It's okay."

She was sobbing into my shirt, distressed over her mother's appearance on our doorstep. Well, it wasn't really _our_ doorstep anymore, seeing as we now had a house, courtesy of my parents.

"I'm sorry, Edward." She sobbed clenching her fists into the back on my shirt. "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, love." I placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"But she's my mother." She looked up at me and I felt a pang in my heart. I hated seeing her upset or distraught and seeing her tear-streaked face only made me hurt. "I should have known that Jacob would do something like this." The mention of his name made me angry. What the hell was his problem? He seemed to be willing to do anything to make Bella miserable. Even calling her mother over here to try to stop our wedding. Well, that didn't exactly pan out the way you wanted it to, did it Jacob?

"Bells, it's not your fault." Jasper said calmly behind us.

I looked over to my family and I saw that their expressions were drawn and tense. They were as affected by this as Bella and I were. They had seen Bella as a member of the family long before I married her. She was their sister, no questions asked.

And now Renee had shown up, shouting the odds.

She was here to take Bella away, and there was nothing that we could do about it.

I had to say goodbye to her.

It wasn't fair. I'd only just made her mine. I wasn't ready to let her go.

Not now. Not ever.

I looked at Carlisle and he nodded sadly, seeming to understand that Bella and I needed some time to ourselves. Even though we had only just got back from our honeymoon, this would be our last night together, until she could come back.

He walked out of the foyer for a moment, reappearing with a set of keys in his hand. He handed them to me and I pulled back from Bella slightly, unwrapping her arms from my waist. They immediately flew around my neck and I knew that she didn't want to let me go, just as I didn't want to let her go.

I bent down and lifted her up bridal style, while Carlisle opened the door.

He was going to drive us to our new home.

Which, until Bella came back, I would be living in by myself.

It hurt to think that I would be there, in a home that they had had built and put all that work into, a home that was meant for Bella and myself to live in together, on my own. I didn't know how I was going to do it.

But I would.

I would have to.

I couldn't just leave it sitting there waiting for the time, if and when Bella returned. Besides, I was sure that all of my things were in there already.

I placed Bella into the back of the Mercedes and climbed in myself as Carlisle got into the front. I wrapped my arms around Bella again and she pressed herself into me, as much as she could. I looked into the rearview mirror to see Carlisle looking at the two of us sadly. I closed my eyes and pressed a kiss to the top of Bella's head as he started the car and we began to move.

It didn't take us long to reach our new house.

It was hidden away in the trees, just as the other house was, ensuring that we had privacy. Carlisle told me that he was taking us around the long way so that we would know where the turning off the road was. I nodded, showing him that I understood. Apparently, like the other house, the turning was concealed from the road, giving us as much privacy as we needed. He also told me that there was a direct lane that they were having created, that connected the two houses, should we, or should I say, _I_ need to get to their house quickly.

We pulled up to the house and I saw that it was similar to my old home. It was smaller, not needing to be large enough to fit in a whole family, but it was still quite large.

It was white and also consisted largely of windows. I smiled slightly, knowing that Esme would have had something to do with the design. After all, this is what she does. And she loves it.

"Come on love." I whispered softly, as Carlisle opened my door. I handed the keys back to him and he walked up to the front door of the house, unlocking it and stepping inside. "You want to see our new home?"

"What's the point?" She asked, still sobbing. "I'm being taken away from here tomorrow. There's no point in me seeing it."

"Well, that's too bad, because we're here." I wrapped my arms around her, gently easing her out of the car as I climbed out myself. As she climbed out, I lifted her up bridal style, kicking the door closed with my foot and walked up to the house.

"I can walk you know." She sniffled into my shirt, yet making no attempt to get down. She was exhausted, emotionally and physically.

"I know." I chuckled. "But it's tradition."

She looked up at me and smiled gently. "I forgot."

"Well, I didn't." I leaned my head down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, earning a sigh from her.

I walked inside and gently placed her on her feet. I looked around and felt my jaw drop slightly. This place was incredible. I looked at Bella and saw her doing the same thing.

**BPOV**

I couldn't believe I was standing in my new home. Or at least it would be if Renee could leave well enough alone.

This place was beautiful.

I knew it had to be Esme's handiwork. She was one of the best in her field after all.

I let go of Edward's hand after a moment and wandered off into the house, hearing him close the door behind us gently.

Like the Cullens' home, a lot of the walls were made of glass. This made me smile as it meant that a lot of natural light would be allowed in. It also gave it a more familiar feel.

I could see that the layout of the house was on separate levels, there being steps to get up and down into certain rooms. Like there was a step to get up into the kitchen, and yet you had to go down a step to get into the living room. That would be interesting when drunk.

I looked around at the décor and found that everything was incredibly modern, and yet it had a timeless feel to it. The colour theme was made up of creams and light browns, giving it a homely, family feel. It made it feel more comfortable.

I walked into the kitchen and saw that the colour theme carried on in here, the only difference being that the worktops were made of polished black granite. Looking around I saw that it was a very high-tech kitchen, holding things that I didn't even know existed. I wished I had time to figure out what they were used for. But then again, on our honeymoon, I had told myself that Edward would be doing the cooking.

_Edward_.

What would he do?

Would he live here by himself?

Would he be okay?

I wanted to believe that he would be okay. But what if he wasn't? What if he went back to his old ways after I left? He wouldn't, would he? No. He wouldn't do. He knew how much that would hurt me, and his family. He wouldn't do it.

But I couldn't help the little niggling voice in the back of my head.

_But he just might_.

I hated Renee. I hated her for what she was doing. She had no idea of what was going on between Edward and I. She had no idea what he was like. The kind, caring, beautiful soul that he was. The man that would do anything just to see me smile. Just as I would him. She didn't see what we meant to each other. And she didn't see what it was going to do to the both of us, splitting us up.

All she knew were the lies that Jacob had told her. That pathetic mongrel! If he went and jumped off of a cliff and didn't resurface I wouldn't give a damn. Screw the fact that we had known each other since we were young.

That didn't matter now.

He wasn't the Jacob I knew from when I was little. He was another person that I didn't care to get to know.

I made my way back over to Edward, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him down for a lingering kiss. I loved him so much it hurt. I couldn't bear to think that I was going to have to spend who knows how long away from him.

Carlisle appeared in the doorway, smiling sheepishly at us, realising he had interrupted a moment.

I broke away from Edward and made my way over to Carlise, wrapping my arms around him, and hugging my new father tightly. "Thank you ……… Dad." I whispered and I could feel him smiling against my shoulder.

"You deserve it, my Bella." He whispered back, squeezing me tightly. "The both of you do."

I pulled away and made my way back over to Edward, who embraced his father as well. He really _was_ getting better with the whole contact thing. Maybe our excursions on our honeymoon had had something to do with that. I liked to think so.

When they pulled away, I saw that there were tears in Carlisle's eyes and I knew that he was silently saying goodbye to me.

"You …… are my daughter now." He smiled at me, taking my hands into his own. "You have been ever since Edward met you. Now it's just official." I chuckled at his remark. "I love you Bella. I've loved you like one of my own since that first week."

As I pulled away from him I saw a silent tear running down his cheek. I gently wiped it away as he made to move out of the door.

Once he was out the door, I turned to face Edward, my heart breaking as the moments passed. Gently he pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me, as I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. His beloved heartbeat. It would be one of the major things that I missed.

It was one of the things that made him him.

As warped as that sounds, its true. His erratic heartbeat made him an individual. At first I had been worried, not sure of what it would mean, but Carlisle had assured me that he was in no danger. He had developed a heart murmur as a result of the heart attack, and it would do him no harm, unless he was put under extreme duress.

Something I vowed would never happen.

I looked up at him and he pressed his lips to mine gently, tenderly and yet passionately. I flicked my tongue across his bottom lip eagerly, begging for entrance and he granted it willingly. I needed to taste him. I wanted to savour every single moment with him that I could.

And my God he tasted incredible.

As he always did.

I wrapped my arms around Edward's neck and jumped up, wrapping my legs around his waist, straddling him as he stood there.

He began to walk towards the staircase, not breaking our embrace as he walked up the stairs. I had no idea if he knew where he was going, but in that moment, I didn't care. All I cared about was him. He was all I knew.

I heard a door open and close as he kicked it shut and after a few steps I felt him lowering me onto a bed. Soft and silken beneath my skin, I knew instantly that this was our room.

I didn't break the kiss as I scooted up the bed, pulling him with me. My hands made their way down his chest, stopping at the hem of his shirt, gently pulling it up, stopping when I reached his shoulders. He instantly lifted his arms and I broke the kiss only long enough to pull it over his head.

I felt his nimble fingers undoing each button on my shirt, excrutiatingly slowly, before he slid it gently off of my shoulders, breaking our kiss and making his way down my throat, sucking, nipping and licking his way along my collarbone. I couldn't help but moan as I felt his tongue doing intricate little dances over my skin.

After he discarded my shirt, throwing it to the floor along with his own, his fingers danced over my skin, making their way around my back, finding and making quick work of the clasp on my bra, which also found its way to the floor in a matter of moment.

Instantly, I felt him take my left breast into his mouth, my back arching into it while his hand found and gently caressed my other breast, gently kneading and teasing. My hands found their way into his hair, tugging and pulling as his tongue danced around my nipple. I knew for a fact that having his hair pulled turned him on even more, and I took it as a bonus, seeing as I loved to run my fingers through his soft bronze locks.

He gently pulled away from my breast, leaving me panting and wanting more, letting out an involuntary hiss of pleasure as he gently blew on my wet skin. The bastard. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew exactly what him doing that did to me.

I felt him grinning against my skin as he brushed his nose gently up and down the valley between my breasts before taking the other in his mouth and giving it the same treatment as the previous one.

Something I didn't fail to notice that was his free hand was gently sliding down my stomach, trailing gently patterns along my skin as it made its journey lower and lower.

I felt his fingers make short work of the button and zipper before pushing my trousers down slightly and skimming underneath the hem of my panties. How much torture was he going to put me through? Right now, I didn't care. All I wanted was _him_.

I gasped as his fingers gently skimmed over my most sensitive area, before he reached down and pushed my jeans all the way down, his lips still continuing their assualt on my nipple. _Whoever said that men can't multitask was lying_. I thought, kicking my shoes of, thanking whatever higher power there was that they were only ballet flats and not something more intricate.

I heard my jeans hit the floor as Edward began gently massaging my thigh, gently kneading and caressing from my knee all the way up to my hip before starting on the other one.

I let out a frustrated moan, wanting him to get to his destination. "Ed-ward."

"Yes love." He whispered, gently making his way back up my chest and along my shoulder. "What is it?"

"I-I-I need-" I let out another moan as he gently bit down on my shoulder. _Hell, this boy could bite me anyday!_

"Need what, love?" His voice was so full of lust that I was sure I was going to come right then and there.

"You. Inside me." I panted running my fingers down his back and round to the front of his jeans so that I could unbutton his jeans. I made short work of the zipper and soon his jeans and boxers were on the floor along with the rest of our clothing and it was just the two of us, no barriers, nothing separating us.

"I want you. Now." I looked into his beautiful green eyes and saw that they were darkened with as much lust as I felt. He wanted it too, I know he did.

I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling his down and pushing my tongue between his lips, not bothering to ask for permission this time, earning a small moan from him as he pushed himself into me.

Just the feeling of him inside me was enough to do me in. There were no words to describe it. I felt whole. As if there was nothing else in the world but him and me in this little bubble.

We quickly fell into a rhythm that was becoming familiar, our bodies moving in complete sync as we both neared our climaxes. He was incredible. The feeling of him on top of me, not resting all of his weight on me, but just enough so that our bodies moved against one another, brushing gently as we moved, elevating that feeling of pleasure with each touch.

I crashed my lips to his as I felt myself go over the edge and he moaned deeply into my mouth as he rode out his own high.

We stayed like that for a few moments, allowing ourselves to come down off our individual yet entwined highs before he gently slid out of me and settled on the bed next to me. I instantly missed the contact and wrapped my arms around him as he covered us in the duvet.

"I love you." He whispered gently into my hair.

"As I love you." I whispered back, gently pressing a kiss to his chest, enjoying the taste of him.

How was I going to deal with not being here with him?

How was I going to deal with not waking up next to him every morning.

I don't know how I was going to do it, but I was going to find a way back to Edward as soon as I could. I had no doubts that I could come back, Edward and the Cullens' would always be here for me, but it was getting past Renee.

I didn't give a flying fuck about what she wanted anymore.

I was going to come back to my Edward. My family.

And there was nothing she could do about it.

**Not really much to say at the moment.  
When I think of something I'll let you know.  
But for now, please review.  
You know how I love them :D  
xx**


	50. Not Goodbye Just See You Later

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS SCENES THAT ARE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES (jeez, I sound like one of those rating ads on old videos. Anyways, it's true).**

**BPOV**

I hate my mother.

I know that they say that "hate" is a strong word, but lying here, watching my God-like husband sleeping I could think of no better way to put it.

What could she possibly have against this perfect creature?

Other than what Jacob had told her, she had no reason to hate him. He was what every woman wanted her husband to be. He was kind and considerate, generous and gentle, caring and patient, he was beautiful and strong. He was all I needed.

And now it was all being taken away.

How could she do this to me?

All I wanted to do for the rest of eternity was watch this glorious creature sleep.

But thanks to my mother I wasn't going to be able to do that.

I gently ran my hand across Edward's forehead, brushing a few stray hairs out of his eyes. I wanted to watch him sleep, but I also wanted him to open those glorious green eyes that I loved so much. God, how I loved those eyes. They were beautiful.

A small smile graced his lips and he pulled me closer to him. I sighed and nuzzled my nose into his neck. He chuckled slightly and I pulled back, looking up at him.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked softly, wanting him to open his eyes.

"Nothing, you're breath on my neck." He opened his eyes, his smile widening slightly. "It tickles."

"Oh." I smiled. "That's okay then. As long as you're not laughing at me."

"And what would you do if I _was_ laughing at you." He challenged me, his tone slightly mocking.

I thought about that for a moment. "I don't actually know."

"Well." He pulled me closer to him, burying his nose in my hair. "That's what I thought."

"Yeah, yeah." I giggled as he moved down my neck, placing fleeting, featherlight kisses on my skin.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing. I picked it up off of the side as Edward groaned and buried his head in my hair again. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Renee. Edward was looking up at me, seeming to plead with me not to answer the phone as if he knew who it was on the other end. I mouthed a quick "sorry" to him and answered the phone.

"What?" I answered, my voice cold.

"Where are you?" Renee's voice rang out through the speaker.

"What do you care?" I spat back, running a hand through Edward's hair gently. He sighed and rested his head on my shoulder gently, seeming to sense where this conversation was going to go soon.

"Because you're coming home." She answered just as coldly.

"I already _am_ home." I replied, my anger wearing thin.

"Well, you're not at the Cullens'. I'm coming to that house they think they've got hidden away." _Shit! Fuck! Bollocks!_ Every curse word I could think of ran through my mind at that moment. I pinched the bridge of my nose, just as Edward had done many many times before. It was something that I had picked up from him. He noticed my action and looked up at me, his eyes worried.

"What's going on?" He whispered quietly to me and I shook my head.

"Why are you coming here?" I asked Renee, my anger shining through. Edward's head shot up off of my shoulder and stared at me, his eyes wide with alarm.

"Because you're coming home with me. And that's final Bella." She hissed at me.

"I. Hate. You." I spat, hanging up the phone and throwing it across the room, where it broke apart.

"Now, was that really the smartest thing to do?" Edward asked, his tone curious. He looked up at me, his eyebrows raised.

"No, I guess not." I mumbled, worming my way down and pulling the duvet over my head.

I laid my head on Edward's chest as he chuckled at me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hitched my leg across his. He wrapped his arms around me as I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

His beautiful heartbeat.

Since I had come to stay at his house practically every night, it had come to be a lullaby of sorts to me. And each time I had tried to sleep without it thudding gently in my ear. It made me feel safe and secure, knowing that he was there, feeling his warm and solid beneath me.

Nothing I knew could compare to that.

He lifted the cover up and looked at me, a small smirk on his face. "You okay in there?" He asked, a slight hint of laughter in his voice.

"No." I mumbled, pressing a kiss to his chest, right above where his heart was situated. "I want to stay here forever."

"Mmmm, so do I." He pulled the duvet over his head and kissed the top of my head.

We lay there for a little while, not saying anything at all. Not needing to. Just comfortable with the silence passing through each other. All I needed was to hear his gentle heartbeat thudding next to my ear and in my mind, everything was perfect. I never wanted it to end.

But that was not to be.

A few minutes later, there was an enormous pounding on the front door. Looks like Renee's here.

I heard Edward groan, as he closed his eyes and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Make her go away." He mumbled, his lips still pressed against my skin.

"I would love to but that would mean getting out of bed." I mumbled gently, nuzzling into his chest again. "And I really don't want to do that."

The banging continued on the front door and we smiled at each other, knowing that it wasn't going to get us out of bed. Hell, not even Emmett could get the two of us out of bed, banging on the door. And let me tell you, he's tried. So Renee was going to be in for a long wait and a very sore fist.

"She can bang all she wants." Edward mumbled gently as I smiled at him. "I'm not getting out of this bed."

"Me neither." I sighed, closing my eyes.

After another moment or two, the banging stopped and we grinned at each other. Seemed as though she had finally given up. Maybe she would actually see that there was no way she was going to split us up and had left.

That was shortlived.

My eyes flew open, meeting Edward's angry eyes as we both heard something smash downstairs. No doubt the smash had been the elegant glass door that led into the house.

"Oh no, she _did not_!" Edward growled before shoving the duvet away from his head and grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, watching Edward storm out of the room. I grabbed my panties and slid them on, before I found Edward's shirt from last night and slid it on, buttoning it up as I walked down the staira.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?!" Edward was almost shouting at Renee. "Who the hell do you think you are?! You can't just break into somebody's house because you feel like it! What if we hadn't been here, huh?!" I didn't need to see Edward to know that he was pissed. I didn't want to go down because I didn't want Renee to know I was actually there, but I didn't want Edward to have to face her on his own. I didn't want him to be under any more stress than he had to be. I still worried about his heart. I always would. "Well? What would you have done then? Would you have gone snooping around? Help yourself to something you like?"

"I am only here for my daughter!" Renee snapped.

"Who also happens to be my _wife_!" Edward spat back at her. I had no idea that Edward could speak with such a venom in his voice. Who knew he could be so strong? I should have.

"For now." Renee hissed.

"You can't do anything about it." He replied as I stepped down the last few steps. Neither of them had noticed that I had come down the stairs yet.

"The hell I can't." Renee sounded smug at this and she looked it as well.

"Actually no, you can't." Edward shook his head. "You can't get an annulment if the marriage has been consumated and you can't get a divorce on behalf of someone else, so…" He nodded at her. "You're kind of at a loss here."

"What do you mean 'you can't get an annulment if the marriage has been consumated'?" Renee's eyes were going wide now. "Are you saying that the two of you have……?"

"What did you expect, Renee?" I asked her smugly, walking up behind Edward and wrapping an arm around Edward's waist. "That we'd get married and not touch each other for the rest of our lives?"

She looked at me as Edward placed a kiss on the top of my head. I could see that she wanted to explode at us, possibly tear Edward limb from limb, as she was looking at me wearing Edward's button down shirt, that barely skimmed my thighs, covering my arms and not much else.

"You, young lady, will get dressed and out that door right now!" She pointed at me and then out the door. "Or else, _he_ and _his family-_"

"Hey!" I shouted back. "They're _my_ family too now! They have been since before Edward and I got married." I saw her cringe when I mentioned the "M" word. "Yes, Renee, Edward and I are married. Get used to it."

"No." She snapped back. "Now, get your ass dressed and into that car or else I will be calling the state police. We are leaving now, or else your pretty little _husband_ will find himself in a cell."

"Alright!" I screamed at her even though I knew it was breaking Edward's heart as much as it was mine. "Fine! You want to be a manipulative scheming bitch and have it your way, fine! But I am _not_ sitting in a car with you! I will be riding with Edward. And if they want to, the rest of the Cullens will be coming too!"

"Not a chance!" She scoffed at me.

"Tough shit!" I shouted at her, the only thing stopping me from launching myself at her was Edward's arm around my waist. I could tell that he was as pissed as I was, but he knew now wasn't the time for violence.

I looked up at him and saw a look of pure fury on his face. I had hoped never to see that face, and from what I had heard, before Edward had gone into the clinic he had worn that expression many times. That one mixed with depression and despair. I didn't find either of the other two on his face, but then again, I couldn't see his eyes, so I had no idea what they were holding.

I turned to walk back up the stairs, gently taking Edward with me. I didn't want to do this, but I knew that I had to. There was no way out for me. I couldn't stay here. Who knows how far Renee would take this. And that was not something that I was willing to put to the test. Not with Edward on the line.

When we got up to our room, he locked the door and pulled me close to him, capturing my lips in a soft kiss. It wasn't desperate or needy, it was filled with passion and longing. He didn't want me to leave. I didn't want to leave. The Cullens' and Charlie didn't want me to leave. I knew on some level, not even Jacob wanted me to leave.

But Renee.

She was in a world of her own.

She was the only one who wanted me to leave.

And for whatever reasons they were, I didn't know. But I was sure as hell going to find out. That was the only time I was going to speak to her all the time I was in Phoenix.

I was going to get the information I needed, and then ignore her until I could come home.

She thought that Phoenix was my home. Phoenix had stopped being my home as soon as I found Edward. Now, my home was wherever he was. It was that simple.

"I love you." He whispered gently as we broke apart.

"As I love you." He rested his forehead against mine. "Edward." I opened my eyes and looked into his beautiful emerald orbs. "I will _always_ love you. No matter where each of us is, we are always connected." I placed a hand over his heart and took his hand and placed it over mine. "We will _always_ be together."

He sniffed and wrapped his arms around me, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I felt something drop onto my shirt and opened my eyes to see that he had a silent tear running down his cheek. I brushed my thumb across his cheek, wiping it away and looking at the drop that clung to my skin. Slowly, I put my thumb into my mouth, tasting his tear, tasting him, before pressing my lips to his in a long, slow, lingering kiss.

I pulled away from him slowly and picked up my jeans from yesterday. I didn't bother with underwear, even though I knew I'd pay for it tomorrow. I picked up my bra and spid my arms out of the shirt, but not taking it off. I managed to slip my bra on and put my arms back into the sleeves of the shirt in under a minute. Edward was wearing a small smirk as I walked back over to him. His eyes were still full of sadness and grief. I just hoped that he would be okay.

"What are you thinking?" I asked softly, looking over at Edward to see that he had also gotten himself dressed, looking as gorgeous as ever in a pair of faded jeans and grey t-shirt.

"I was just remembering Emmett musing over how women could do that." He chuckled and I frowned at him. "Put a bra on without taking off their shirts first. Apparently, it's always something that's bugged him."

"I can imagine." I smiled, resting my head on his chest. "I just want to stay here forever."

"As do I, my love." He kissed the top of my head and rested his cheek there, sighing.

"Unfortunately we can't." I sighed, lifting my head up and looking up at him. "She's probably going to storm her way up here and destroy something else if we don't get down there soon."

"I don't understand……why……she's doing this." He sighed, closing his eyes tightly. He hated this. He hated anything that upset me, just as I loathed anything that upset him. Call us crazy, but that's how we work.

"I don't know." I mumbled. "What I don't understand is how she can believe Jacob over me. It just……I don't know. He must have told her something horrible for her to do this. Normally, she would just worry and fret, but going this far … it's ridiculous."

"If murder wasn't a crime, I would happily murder Jacob right now." He mumbled quietly, his voice full of malice.

I looked up at him, shocked. "Edward!" I had never heard him say _anything_ like that before. I looked into his eyes and they were filled with hurt and betrayal.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, shaking his head gently. "I know it was wrong of me to say that, but, I can't stand the thought of losing you."

"I didn't mean that you shouldn't think that way." I smirked. "I was just hoping that you were going to wait for me to be around before you did."

He smiled at me, pulling me back to him. We stayed there for a few more moments, before I heard Renee shouting at me to come down. Why the hell couldn't she just leave me the fuck alone?! She thought she was doing the right thing, but what she didn't realise was that she was only ruining a hell of a lot of lives. And because of some mangy mutt with a little crush.

"I'm stealing your shirt by the way." I mumbled into his chest, pressing a soft kiss to the fabric covering his smooth muscles. "I hope you don't mind. I just …… wanted something of yours …… you know?"

"You _have_ something of mine love." He whispered into my ear gently. "You have my heart."

I buried my face into the crook of his neck and sighed. "Is that your way of saying that I can't have your shirt?"

He chuckled softly. "No, you can have it." He looked down at me. "It looks better on you anyway." He pressed his lips to mine gently and I sighed softly.

"Come on." I whispered, putting on my shoes and taking his hand. I didn't want to do this. I could feel my heart breaking with every step I took down the stairs.

I glared at the woman who dared to call herself my mother, and then behave this way. I had always had to be the adult out of the two of us, but that was usually because she was always too caught up in whatever phase she was obsessed with. But now……now she was just being too childish for words.

I didn't look break eye contact as Edward and I walked up and stood in front of her.

"You can expect a bill for that window by the way." Edward stated coldly.

"I don't think so." Renee shook her head.

"Really?" I looked up at Edward and saw him raise his eyebrows, challenging Renee. "Maybe we should get Charlie involved on account of breaking and entering?"

She scoffed at him and shook her head. "Fine, then."

He smirked at her. "By the way, crystal glass ain't cheap." He smiled smugly at her as she scoffed and shook her head again.

"Come on, Bella." She looked at me and glared at Edward again. "Let's go."

"Is there something wrong with your memory?" I asked her, cocking my head to the side. "I told you: _if_ I _have_ to go, then I'm going with Edward. I don't want to have to spend any more time with you than I have to."

I crossed my arms over my chest as she stood there seething. She knew that she couldn't win this argument. I knew that it had been her plan to get me away from Edward as soon as possible, and _that_ was not going to happen. I wanted every minute I could get with Edward.

"Now, if you'd kindly remove yourself from my house…" Edward gestured towards the door, signalling to Renee that he wanted her to get the hell out of the house, although he was too polite to put it that way.

She glared at him and stormed out of the house and stood out by her car, staring at the two of us. I made a show of putting my arms around Edward's neck and pressing my lips to his. I felt him smile against my lips before he pulled away.

"Now, now, don't be petty." He scolded me, but I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Why not?" I scowled at him before I turned to face my mother, holding onto Edward's hand.

I stalked over to the Volvo, Edward following behind and he opened my door for me, shutting it for me after I got in and walking over to the drivers' side. Neither of us took any notice of Renee as Edward made his way down the driveway, and turned towards the Cullens' house.

I smiled smugly at him and he returned it as we turned up the driveway, Renee following closely behind.

"You know, I would stop the car without warning, teach her a lesson about tailgating but……" He shook his head solemnly. "I like this car too much."

I laughed and kissed his hand gently, causing him to chuckle.

We pulled up to the house and Edward climbed out of the car. He was around at my door and opening it before I even had the chance to get my seatbelt off. I knew that he wasn't showing off for Renee. This was how he always behaved. My perfect gentleman.

"What on earth are you playing at?" Renee practically screamed from behind me.

"Um, I'm seeing my family." I retorted as Edward and I walked up to the house.

"And _you_ can stay outside." Edward smiled smugly. "I don't know if we can control Rose. Especially after yesterday."

We closed the door behind us, leaving Renee standing there gaping at us in disbelief. If the situation wasn't so serious then it could have been amusing.

"Bella? Edward?" Carlisle's voice rang out through the foyer. "She's making you leave isn't she?" We turned and saw him and the rest of the family coming through various doors. We both nodded sadly and Edward squeezed my hand a little more tightly.

I threw an arm around Carlisle and pressed my face into his shoulder. "I don't want to go." I sobbed, sounding like a child that just doesn't want to go to school.

"I know." He comforted me. It would have been easier if I had both hands free but I refused to let go of Edward's hand, so he would have to deal. "We don't want you to go either."

I stepped back from Carlisle and looked at the rest of my family. "Can you guys do me a favour?" I looked around at them and they all nodded and I heard murmurs of agreement. "Can you come to the airport with us?"

"Of course honey." Esme replied, a hand on her chest as though I had just insinuated some enormous crime if they hadn't. "We wouldn't dream of staying here."

"Okay, good." I nodded and tried to smile at them, but I think it turned out as more of a grimace.

I winced as I heard a horn honking from outside. She was really getting on my nerves now. I had the urge to ask Rosalie or Alice or maybe even Esme to go out and knock her out, so that I wouldn't have to leave. Maybe we could do that, and then chain her up in the basement until I'm eighteen and then let her go because she can't do anything then. I just wished that she couldn't do anything now.

"Sounds like someone needs that horn shoving up her ass." Rosalie snorted and I smiled.

"Rosalie." Carlisle scolded her, but he was hilding back a small chuckle himself. I would miss this family so much. And Renee would see how much I missed them, once we got to Phoenix. She might call it "home" but it was not home for me anymore.

My home was with Edward.

We all walked out of the house and Edward and I climbed into the Volvo again, Carlisle and Esme got into Carlisle's Mercedes, Carlisle opening Esme's door, just as Edward had for me. The other's climbed into the Jeep and I turned to notice that Emmett was holding open a door for Rose and Jasper was doing the same for Alice.

"Hm." I hummed gently. I didn't think Edward would notice, but as always, he was finely in tune with everything I did.

"What?" He asked, giving me a curious look as he turned on the ignition.

"I just noticed Em and Jazz holding open the doors of the Jeep for Rose and Ali." I smiled at them as they walked around to their own sides.

"Yeah." He grinned at me. "Have you never noticed that they do that before?" I shook my head. "Have done ever since they were big enough to open a car door."

"Something Esme drilled into them?" I laughed and he shook his head. "What then?"

"They saw it on some kids' movie and thought that it looked like what a proper man would do so they started doing it for Rose and Alice. Roped me into doing it as well, of course." He chuckled.

"I've seen." I smiled at him as we started moving, following Carlisle's Mercedes. I took his hand and pressed a kiss to each of his knuckles before I let our hands fall between us. I looked out of the window as the road vanished underneath us.

Renee was taking me away from the only man I had ever loved because she felt that he wasn't good enough, for whatever reasons that Jacob had told her. And I _would_ be finding out what he had said. That would be the only conversation I had with Renee whilst in Phoenix, and maybe I would have it on the plane with her, making it so I don't have to even talk to her after we land.

It took us a little under an hour to get to Port Angeles. Somehow, Renee had managed to keep up with the crazy Cullen style of driving. Something told me that the suspension on her rental wasn't faring too well though. It wasn't as up to date as the Cullens' cars were.

I slowly got out of the car when Edward opened my door and clung to him for dear life. I buried my head into his chest, wanting this to be a dream, well a nightmare. I was so desperately hoping that this was one of those nightmares that ended just before I had to walk through the gate to get on the plane. My conscious mind knew that that wasn't going to happen though. Nothing like that ever happens in real life. It was all in the movies and novels that that stuff happened.

Nothing ever goes right in real life.

Or, if it does, it's soon ruined by some external factor that doesn't like how good your life is going and would rather it filled with chaos.

I sat down in one of the uncomfortable plastic seats pulling Edward down with me as the rest of the Cullens' sat down around me. I didn't want to cry, but I knew that I was going to. This was the hardest thing that I had ever had to do. Of course it wasn't by choice, but that's not the point. Even having to leave Edward in the clinic hadn't hurt even a fraction of the amount that this did. At least then, I knew he was within driving distance, and I mean within a few hours, not a few _days_ drive.

Renee sat down next to Esme a smug smile on her face. Esme turned away from her, obviously disgusted at her behaviour. What I wouldn't give to see Esme land one on Renee right now. She could do that and then we'd all run, disappearing in our fancy cars while Renee tried to get hers started.

I heard Edward telling Carlisle about the window that basically made up the front door, and I saw Carlisle and Esme sitting there, trying to control their anger. I could tell that launching themselves at Renee was becoming a very interesting idea. Renee had no respect for the Cullens' or their property. I suspected some of it was jealousy, probably from the fact that Carlisle was the head of cardiology at the Forks hospital as he had been in Chicago and Esme had her own interior design company and Renee was a kindergarten teacher. Might have something to do with it. Even so, what she had done to the front door, _my_ front door, was unacceptable and I _will_ be giving Edward the address and phone number to Renee's house so that the glaziers can send their bill to Renee. It's the least she could do.

I heard a boarding call and Renee stood up, looking at me. "Come on, Bella!" She sounded exasperated and every single one of the Cullens', including myself, turned to glare at her. How she withstood such a glare I don't know. Most people I know are pissing themselves after a glare from Alice, let alone _all_ of the Cullens' put together.

I hugged each and every one of them, as the tears began falling. It took forever to get a sobbing Alice to let go of my arm. I eventually handed her to Jasper, who also had tears falling from his eyes. They were all so sad that I was leaving. They really were my family and I loved them.

I took a deep breath and turned to Edward, who was standing there, a little way away from the rest of the family, tears streaking down his face. He looked so lost and broken and all I wanted to do was take him home and reasssure him that everything was going to be okay. I couldn't do that though. Renee's threat of the state police coming down on the Cullens' was too much for me to think about.

I placed my hands on either side of his face and pulled him down crashing my lips to his. This wasn't a kiss full of lust or want. It was a kiss of longing, passion and love. I needed him to know that I was here, always with him. I gently sucked his bottom lip into my mouth, biting down softly, before easing my tongue into his mouth.

His tongue met mine in a gentle caress, seemingly telling me the same thing I was trying to tell him. That I was always going to be there. That I _would_ come back.

We grudginly broke the kiss when we both realised that we still needed to breathe. If that hadn't been a problem then we could have stayed like that forever.

"I love you. So much." I whimpered, pressing my head into his chest and sobbing into his shirt.

"I will never stop loving you." He whispered, wrapping his arm around my waist and placing a hand on the back of my head.

I leaned my head back to look at him. "Edward." I whispered. "I will come back. I promise you that. I _will_ be coming back. There is no force on earth that will keep me away from you." He nodded and pressed a kiss to my forehead. He was so overwhelmed that he couldn't even speak. This had happened a couple of times, and it was never under good circumstances when it did. "Which is why …… I'm not saying goodbye to you."

"What do you mean?" He asked, puzzled, tears still streaming down his face. It wasn't right for his beauty to be marred the way it was. He was so beautiful. _Too_ beautiful for tears.

"I _am_ coming back, make no mistake about that." I nodded, looking deep into his eyes, making sure he knew that I was telling the truth. "And I will be back the first opening I see. So …… I'm not saying goodbye. I'm saying …… see you later."

"See you later?" He smiled one of the saddest smiles I had ever seen and it nearly broke my heart all over again.

"Yeah." I nodded, trying to stop the tears that were flowing. "See you later. It means that I am _definitely_ coming back." I sighed, kissing his jaw gently. "Edward, I have never loved anyone as much as I love you, and you know that if I had a choice, I would stay here each and every single time. But, as it turns out, fate hates us and I _don't_ have a choice. But nothing, _nothing_ she or anyone else does will _ever _make me forget you. No one can tear us apart, unless we want them to."

"As long as we're strong, we've won." He whispered, lowering his lips to mine again.

"Bella!" Renee practically shouted at me, causing me to fist my hands in Edward's, now soaked t-shirt. "We have to go!"

"I have to go." I whispered to Edward.

"I get that." He sighed, pulling me to him. "I just wish I knew how to stop it."

"So do I." I mumbled, as a fresh wave of tears broke over the dam. I stood up on my tiptoes ans whispered in his ear, exactly what I did when I had to leave him in the clinic. "Look after my heart. I've left it with you."

I heard a choked sob come from him as I pulled away. I walked away from him, not looking away from him until finally our fingers no longre touched. I instantly felt incomplete. Like someone had ripped away the other half to me. I was no longer complete.

I needed Edward for that.

And I wouldn't have him for God knows how long.

How would I survive?

**EPOV**

It was unbearable having to watch her walk through the gate.

She was gone.

She was gone and I was going to have to go on like everything was normal. I couldn't do that. I had just had the love of my life ripped away from me. There was no way that I could act "normally".

I didn't care that I was crying in the tiny airport in Port Angeles. I didn't care what people thought of me. All I cared about was the fact that the love of my life – my _wife_ – getting on a plane, being forced on a plane, to somewhere she didn't want to go.

I turned around and walked out of the airport, not caring about the looks I received from my family. Nothing else mattered to me at that moment in time. All that mattered was _her_ and the fact that she wasn't here anymore.

I climbed into my Volvo and turned the ignition as my family walked out of the airport. I sped out of the parking lot, not looking at them, not wanting to see their looks of pity and sympathy. I didn't need that. I needed _Bella_.

I don't know how long I drove for.

I don't know where I drove.

Everything just seemed to meld together into one big green swirl.

I didn't pay attention to anything at all.

I let myself become numb.

All I knew was that sometime later on in the day I was pulling into the driveway of my old home. I sighed and climbed out of the car, walking slowly up to the house and placing my key in the door. I walked in to find the house very quiet. Which was unnerving.

The house was usually so alive and bouncing with energy. This quiet was making me nervous.

I walked through into the kitchen to see Alice, Rose and Esme sitting there, at the table. It looked as though they had been crying pretty much all day, which I didn't doubt. They had all become very attached to Bella. Almost as attached as I was.

"Edward." Esme breathed, getting up and walking over to me. She placed a hand on my shoulder in a loving way and I tensed. I didn't pull away and she smiled at me. "Where have you been?" She asked me, a worried undertone to her voice. I shrugged, shaking my head. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Just drove around for a while." I told her honestly. "Needed some …… time."

"It's okay, sweetie." I sat down at the table and crossed my hands on the table before leaning my head on them. I felt someone rubbing my back gently, but at this moment, I was too emotionally, physically and mentally drained to freak. Normally, I probably would have done, but with everything that had happened today, I just didn't have the capacity to do so.

"Edward." I heard Carlisle's voice enter the room, filled with relief. Him just saying my name like that told me that what he thought I had been doing. He must have thought that I was trying to figure out another plan to try and kill myself. I wouldn't do that. Not when I had Bella's promise that she would come back. When I didn't know, but I knew she would come back.

Wouldn't she?

What if when she's in Phoenix, she realises that I am a waste? That I'm not worth her time after all?

I don't know what I would do.

She wouldn't think that though, would she?

No matter how I tried to convince myself otherwise, the thoughts that she would forget me wouldn't leave. They were like a plague.

"Come on," Esme said softly. "Let's get something to eat."

"I don't want anything." I mumbled, sitting up and leaning back in my chair.

"Edward." Carlisle said softly but an edge of warning in his voice. I looked up at him and saw the reservation in his eyes. I wasn't going anywhere til I'd eaten something. The next thing I knew he'd placed a glass of water and a smal pill in front of me as well. "You probably haven't taken this this morning." I shook my head and popped the pill into my mouth, drinking about half of the glass of water. I placed it back down on the table and Carlisle smiled a fatherly smile at me. I really didn't have the energy to give one back, but I think he knew that. "Right." He looked around at everyone. "Let's go eat."

"Dinner will be ready in five minutes." Esme announced softly.

Dinner? I really had been gone all day. I was surprised that I hadn't ended up somewhere across state. But then again, I probably had, turned around and come back without even realising it. I just couldn't focus.

"If dinner's in five, I'm going to go and freshen up." I said standing up and walking out of the kitchen, past my very worried looking family.

I walked up to my old room, and found that it was practically bare. Everything of mine had been moved into my new house while Bella and I were away on our honeymoon, courtesy of my family and Charlie. That's probably how Renee knew where the house was. Through following them.

I walked into my bathroom and closed the door behind me, locking it. I looking in the mirror and ran the water.

Slowly, I lifted up my tongue and took the pill out of my mouth, holding it between my thumb and forefinger, looking at it momentarily.

How could something so small make me feel the way I did?

How could something so tiny manipulate someone's emotions in the way that it did?

How could it strip away the hurt and pain, how could it make everything that should be huge seem like it didn't really matter?

I didn't know.

All I did know, is that it wouldn't be doing it to me anymore.

No more.

I didn't want to hide away behind the pills anymore.

They weren't doing me any good.

All they were doing was shielding me, just like everyone always does.

They were shielding me from the outside world.

Well, how am I supposed to live in the world, if I have no idea what's really going on?

I threw it into the sink and watched as it made it's way down the drain. It was oddly satisfying to watch it disappear.

_I'm done playing by everyone else's rules_.

"Yo! Eddie!" Emmett shouted through the door. "Dinner's up!"

I sighed, not answering him before he made his way back downstairs and looked at myself in the mirror again.

I was a wreck.

My eyes were red and sore from all the tears that I had shed throughout the day. I washed my face and ran my hands through my hair, attempting to tame it, but achieving nothing. I dried my face with a towel before I unlocked my bathroom door and walked downstairs.

The others were already seated at the table and Esme was dishing out dinner. Lasange. Even though I had grown used to most foods now, lasange was still one that I wasn't really fond of.

I looked over the room and saw that the only seat left empty, other than Esme's at one of the ends of the table was one next to Carlisle and opposite Emmett. Obviously to ensure that I do in fact eat something. I knew they wouldn't believe me, but I actually wasn't hungry. But hey, who trusts the recovering anorexic? Anyone? Didn't think so.

I sat down as a plate made its way in front of me. I gave Esme a small smile and she returned it, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Nobody was talking, and the silence was overwhelming. I ate a few bites before I took to playing with my food with my fork. I could tell that Carlisle was watching me, but I didn't take any notice.

"Edward." He said softly. "You have to eat more than that."

I didn't acknowedge him, and I knew that the others were looking at me now, watching me for any signs of recurring behaviour I bet. I didn't care. All I wanted was Bella back. I wasn't going to get it was I? Probably not for a long time.

"Edward." His voice was louder now, harsher.

"I know, Carlisle." I looked at him, pleading with him to just let me go at my own pace, if only for today. "I know."

"You have to eat up." He pushed. I know he was only trying to help, but it was becoming incredibly annoying. "What would Bella say if she knew that you were ……" He didn't finish the sentence as we all knew where it would have lead.

"Well, for starters, she'd tell you all to stop staring at me, because that doesn't help." The others looked away, but Carlisle and Emmett still kept their eyes trained on me. "I'm not going back to that, okay?" I sighed, looking down at my plate. "I've just had to say goodbye to my wife for … God's knows how long …… I think I'm entitled to feel a bit depressed."

"Not to the extent where you stop eating Ed." Emmett replied in a soft voice.

"I'm not stopping eating, Emmett." I looked up at him again, my green eyes meeting his worried blue ones. "I've just got a lot on my mind, that's all."

"Come on." Carlisle pushed my plate towards me a little more, before turning back to his own meal, signalling that the discussion was over and that I wasn't going anywhere until I had finished what was on my plate.

I sighed and shook my head, before turning back to my plate, resigning myself to the fact that I had to eat it all or else I was going to be sat here forever.

After everyone had finished their dinner, desert was brought out and after a mini argument with Carlisle and Emmett, it was decided that I didn't have to eat it. I was glad because it was chocolate mousse and that was something that really made me feel sickly, even if it was Esme that made it. I don't know what it was, but I just didn't like it.

I sat there while everyone ate, thinking of nothing really in particular. Instead of my brain being on total overload, it was like someone had pulled a plug and there was nothing left. I didn't like it.

After everyone had eaten, I didn't think that I could stay there. Yes, everyone was upset over Bella's departure, but I dodn't think I could sit there with them. Besides, all of my stuff was in mine and Bella's new house, so I had to return there sometime. It might as well be now.

"Hey, I'm gonna head off." I said softly to Carlisle.

"Are you sure?" He asked me, his forehead creasing.

"Yeah." I nodded. "All my stuff is at the new house and I've got to go sometime. Might as well be now."

"You don't have to, you know?" He smiled at me, letting me know that I could stay if I wanted to.

"I know." I nodded, giving him a small smile back. "But I just think to be …… alone, at the moment. I need to …… I don't know … get my head around all this."

"Okay." He smiled at me again, a hint of sadness in his eyes. I knew that he was trying to keep it out of his expression and voice while I was there, hoping not to upset me in any way. Did he not realise that I was already past upset? He probably did, but didn't want to push me any further. "You can come back any time you want to."

"I know." I nodded.

"Don't forget these." He handed me the bottle of medication that I had left and a notepad. It was a food journal that I'd had to keep since I'd come out of the clinic, and everyone had made sure that I had kept it. I opened it and saw that Carlisle had already added in the dinner that I'd had. They wouldn't be happy that I hadn't had anything else today.

"Thanks." I smiled at him as I walked past.

I said goodbye to everyone and grabbed my car keys out of the bowl on the side before slipping on my shoes and walking out of the door and down to my Volvo.

I drove down the small roadway that Esme and Carlisle had created between each of the houses, so that if we needed each other at any point, it would be easier access. It was much quicker than going down the driveway, down the road and back up my driveway. A lot less hassle.

Walking up to the house, I saw that there was a wooden board covering where Renee had smashed the window. One of them must have done that when I was out driving. I smiled thinking of the lengths my family would go to. I really was lucky to have them, even now. I walked into the house and an overwhelming wave of despair washed over me.

What the hell was I going to do?

I didn't know if I could live without Bella. She had become such an intrical part of my life. She was so important to me, that I didn't know if I could function without her.

She meant so much to me.

She was my life.

I walked up the stairs and stopped at the bedroom Bella and I had made love in last night. I walked in and leaned against the wall, looking at the bed, still in its disarray from this morning.

I slid down the wall, feeling the tears sliding down my cheeks. _What the hell am I going to do? I need her_! I couldn't help the thoughts that were going through my head. She was my anchor. She was the one I thought of, the one I could turn to when I was feeling my lowest. And now she was gone. I didn't have anything left.

My anchor was gone.

What was I going to do now?

I looked away from the bed, turning my head to the side when something caught my eye. _Of course!_ I thought. It was so simple. I had to get my control back.

I got up slowly, not really registering what I was doing. My thought processes had stopped working earlier that evening. Maybe it was because all along in my head, I knew that this was the only way to get around Bella leaving.

I walked into the en suite that was attached to the bedroom, whether or not it was mine and Bella's bedroom, I didn't know, but at this moment in time it didn't matter. I didn't care. All I knew was that I had to have something I could cling to now that Bella was gone. When she wasn't there, what else was there?

I knelt down in front of the porcelain bowl and lifted the lid. The part of my mind that had been dormant, been squashed and clouded, for almost a year was screaming out in victory, telling me to do it. To get it over with. To regain that sense of purpose through this action.

And I was willing to comply.

I didn't even need to put my fingers down my throat anymore. In the beginning I had had to, but later on, and even now, that was not an issue anymore. That was how often I had had to use it. All I needed to do was initiate my gag reflex and everything would come up.

And it did.

I carried on until I was empty inside. Until there was nothing else left in my stomach. I could feel the emptiness in my stomach. It felt familiar.

It felt right.

I sat down on the floor and whacked the flush on the toilet, revelling in the rush of endorphins that comes right afterwards. That was why some people did it. Because they feel low, they stuff their emotions down with food, and then release the emotions by purging. The endorphins kick in and they feel great. Not me though. Even though the endorphin rush is good, that wasn't why I did it. But now, all those reasons were coming back and the reasons why I stopped didn't seem to matter anymore.

People say that life is what you make it. That the future changes depending on the decisions and choices that we make.

Well, this is my choice.

And I'm sticking to it this time.

**Not really much to say on this one.  
Other than please leave me a review. 'Cause you know I love them :D  
xx**


	51. Figuring It Out

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**I am **_**so**_** sorry that I haven't updated in ages. I think I was actually starting to get withdrawal symptoms from lack of updating. Not kidding. I had no internet connection and while I could read and reply to reviews on my phone – get little piece of technology. Love it! – I could not update from it. Anyways, I'm back. And I've got lots in store for you.**

**I know that most, okay, pretty much **_**all**_** of you are hating on me right now for the last chapter but relapses are extremely common amongst those recovering from eating disorders. Approximately 2/3 will go through so variation of relapse. Some are long lasting and some aren't. I just thought I'd let you know that. So can you all stop picking on me now!!!**

**I'm not sure about the time difference between WA and AZ so I'm estimating for about 2hrs or so. If I'm way off then feel free to yell at me, tell me what it actually is and then I'll change it.**

**Lastly, I want to tell you that Saving Edward has been nominated for Best Angst over on the Golden Chocolate Awards. I want to say a HUGE thank you to whoever it was that nominated me. YOU ROCK AND I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**JPOV – August 27****th**** 2:12PM (WA time)**

Its been three weeks since Bella had to leave and we were all feeling it. The laughter and air of ease that she had brought into the house seemed to have all but disappeared.

Alice was missing her best friend, as was Rosalie. Emmett and I were missing our little sister. It didn't matter that she and Edward had only gotten married five weeks ago, she had become our sister long before any proposals or vows were exchanged. She just fit. My mom and dad were missing their third daughter. As with us, they felt that she had melded into the family long before she and Edward were wed. She was their daughter. No questions asked.

And Edward…

Well, Edward was missing his heart and soul. She was his other half. She was the one that completed him and we could all see how hard he was taking her departure. Even though the two of them are bound together forever, by so much more than vows, he doesn't seem to have any hope. It's like all the light that he had been building up over the past ten months or so has just died. Like a candle, snuffed out by the wind.

It was because of this that I was sitting at the computer, just as I had been for who knows how long, trying to find some way to get Bella back here with us as fast as possible.

I didn't know whether or not the rest of my family has noticed, but I have certainly noticed a familiarity in Edward's behaviour. He was withdrawing into himself again, closing himself off from the family as he used to do. I just hoped that it was my over active imagination going into overdrive.

He hadn't been around much, not wanting to stay in the house with us when he had his own a little ways away. We stayed with him at nights, you know, just to make sure he doesn't get lonely. I'm sure that he thinks its so he doesn't slip back into his old habits, but I'm sure that if he was, he would find a way all on his own. Something at the back of my mind told me that he already was, but I pushed it away, scolding myself for not having enough faith in my brother.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands. I had been searching on the internet all day, every day since Bella left and I was coming up empty. Maybe we didn't have a case at all. Maybe she really would have to stay there until she was eighteen. My mind worked quickly, flicking through dates. She was eighteen in under a month. She would be able to come back as soon as she turned eighteen. But knowing Bella, she wouldn't want to welch out on her school work in Phoenix. Although, when it came to Edward, she pretty much threw everything out of the window.

I shook my head and looked at the clock. I decided another hour of searching and then I was calling it quits for the day. Emmett had been badgering everyone about having a baseball game in the clearing not too far from our house. Even though he missed Bella sorely, he hated the negative atmosphere that was penetrating the house, and would do whatever he could to alleviate the tension.

I clicked on what felt like the millionth link, and I sat back in my chair, waiting for it to load, reading through the text that was on the screen in front of me.

I sat up in my chair as I read, a wide grin forming on my face.

_This was it!_

I quickly hit the print button, bouncing up and down in my seat, seeming to channel Alice in my excitement. But then again, it seemed that I had a good reason to be excited. This was it! This is what would bring Bella home!

As soon as it printed, I read it through, making sure it really was what I needed, I couldn't help but do a little happy dance in the middle of the living room, stopping quickly when I heard a door slam from somewhere within the house.

Emmett appeared at the top of the stairs as I was throwing my jacket on. "Hey, Jazz-"

"Can't talk, Em!" I shouted, grabbing the keys to my Ducati out of the bowl on the side. "I've found it!"

"Found what?" He asked confused, staring at me. I raised my eyebrows and a grin spread across his face. "You really found something?"

"Yes!" I shouted, ripping the door open.

"Wait!" Emmett ran out behind me, following. "Where you going?"

"Hospital." I made my way over to my beloved bike before Emmett grabbed my shoulder. "Emmett! I've got to get this to Dad." I waved the paper around and he grinned, dangling the keys to his Jeep from his finger.

"You really think I'm going to let you go on your own, did you?" He asked, winking at me in a mischievous way. _Okay, creeped out. Erase from memory……………… Okay … done!_ "Come on."

He walked over to the enormous vehicle and hoisted himself up into the drivers' seat, motioning for me to get in. I should have known that there was no way that Emmett was going to let me go to the hospital to give this information to Dad on my own. I sprinted towards the Jeep and used my momentum to propel myself into the monster before strapping myself in.

We made it to the hospital in record time and we both leapt out after Emmett parked it, not to neatly across three parking spaces. He was gonna get a ticket for that one. But neither of us seemed to care. We practically ran into the hospital, me checking that I had the information I'd found tucked safely inside my jacket.

We walked quickly up to the reception desk, catching the eye of Steph, the receptionist as we approached.

"Hey, boys." She grinned at us and for the first time in weeks, we couldn't help but grin back. "Want me to page your father down?" We nodded.

"No need, Steph." I heard my Dad call as he strolled over to us, a look of worry on his face. Why was he worried? Oh, right he probably thought that we were here because someone was hurt. "Come, we'll talk in my office. He led the way up to his office and Emmett and I couldn't contain our grins as we followed our father. As soon as Emmett closed the door he sprang on us. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"Nothing's wrong, Dad." I grinned at him and he looked confused at me. "Finally, everything's going to be _right_."

I handed him the paper and he looked at it skeptically before slowly unfolding it and reading what was written on the page in front of him. I knew when he had gotten to the most important bit because his face lit up, just like mine had.

He looked up at the two of us, his grin triumphant.

"This is _exactly_ what we needed, Jasper." He clapped me on the shoulder. "Now, we just need to confirm this information and we'll have our Bella back."

"Do we tell Edward?" I asked, looking between Emmett and my father, who looked to be in deep thought over my question.

"No." He shook his head. "Not at the moment." I gaped at him, wondering what he could be thinking. "If we tell Edward that we've got a way to bring Bella home and it turns out that its not legit, it's going to destroy him. He's barely hanging on as it is.

"That makes sense." I sighed, running my hand through my hair. I had picked up that trait from my father. It was something we both did when we were stressed. I hadn't actually noticed that it was something that Edward did as well until he came out of hospital.

"Jasper." He was grinning again as he read the words written on the piece of paper again.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking between him and Emmett, who was also grinning wildly. Even though he hadn't read what was on the page in my father's hand, he knew that it would bring Bella home. It would bring her back to our family. And most importantly, back to Edward.

"This could change everything."

**BPOV August 27****th**** 3:12PM (AZ Time)**

I had been in Phoenix for three weeks. And I hated it. I felt alone. Empty.

It had been just Renee and myself in the house, seeing as Phil was away on some training camp with his baseball team. I hadn't said a word to Renee since getting on that plane.

I hated her. I know that it's wrong to say you hate your parents, but I really really do. She had no idea about the relationship between Edward and I. She had no idea who he really was as a person. She had taken me away from the best thing that had ever happened to me, from my _husband_, and forced me to come back with her.

I _hated_ her.

Even though I hated being in the same room as her, I didn't avoid her. I just didn't talk to her. It was the classic "I'm ignoring you" treatment. You know, the kind little kids do when they're put out. I don't care how childish I seem, if she wants to treat me like a child, then a child she shall have.

Phil had gotten back a few hours ago and I had exchanged a brief "hello" with him before Renee swooped in and monopolised his time.

She hadn't told him that I was married. He just thought that Edward was my boyfriend, and I doubted that Renee would appease his ignorance. Hell, if she wasn't going to, then I sure as fuck was.

At least I could talk to Phil and know that he wasn't a deranged psychopath like my mother. He would actually listen to me, whereas Renee would just spout off about how I was "too young to know what real love is" and that I was "being an irresponsible child".

I was safe in the knowledge that she couldn't do anything to terminate my marriage to Edward. He would always remain my husband. I didn't even want to think of Renee being able to do that, but unless I was mistaken, it's not possible for someone to file for divorce on someone else's behalf. I don't know. All I know is that internally I was doing a happy dance at the thought of being with Edward forever once I got away from Renee.

I was sitting at the kitchen table, picking away at a sandwich when Phil walked in. I looked up at him and smiled, though I'm sure it came out as more of a grimace.

"Jeez, Bells." He sighed, looking at me closely. "No offense, but you look like shit." Trust Phil to be blunt about it. "Bells, look at me." He said softly, sitting down on a chair across from me. I looked up into his soft blue eyes and saw only worry and fear there. "I'm only going to ask you this once, and I want you to give me an honest answer, okay?" I nodded, slowly, wondering what he was getting at. "Have you been eating properly? You've lost weight, hon. I could see that as soon as I walked in the door."

I thought about it for a moment. _Had_ I been eating properly? I couldn't actually recall eating a proper meal since I'd been here. It had just been snacks through the day. There had been days where I hadn't eaten anything at all. I just wasn't hungry.

I shrugged, slightly. "I haven't been hungry." I sighed, still picking at the half eaten sandwich in front of me.

"Bells, you can't make yourself sick over this." He placed a hand over mine, took it away from the sandwich and laid it on the table, keeping his hand securely on top of it. "You're gonna do yourself some real damage if you don't start to eat soon."

"I don't know, Phil." I sighed again, looking at a knot in the wood of the table. "I just …… every time I make something to eat, either I make it and I don't want it anymore, or I'll take a few bites and feel ill. It just comes back up. I don't know…" I trailed off at the end, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

He took a deep breath, seeming to steady himself before speaking again. "You need to talk to your mother, Bells."

"The hell I do!" I spat back, the idea of talking to Renee making me seethe.

"Bella!" He warned, his expression growing stern. "You need to talk to her. The two of you need to sort this out and move on from it. It's not good for either of you."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, steadying myself. "What did she tell you, Phil? Tell me the truth. What did she say to you when you got back?"

"She told me that had been worried about you ever since that phonecall from Jacob a few months ago. She told me that she didn't like what she was hearing about this boyfriend of yours. That he's unstable and dangerous." I opened my mouth to protest to that but he held up a hand. "You asked me to tell you, so I'm telling you." I closed my mouth and slouched back in my chair. "She told me that she was scared for your safety. She kept in contact with Jacob, and apparently, he was telling her that this boy was especially charismatic and able to convince anyone to trust him, to like him, whatever. She told me that she went to Forks to get you before he could hurt you. She was vague about what happened, but I got the idea that it was explosive, yes?"

I nodded, closing my eyes again.

"First things first, Phil." I said gently, trying to calm myself after what I'd just heard. "What Renee has told you is complete bullshit."

"Language, Bella." He reprimanded me and I sent him an apologetic look.

"Sorry." I mumbled. "But it is." I sighed, willing myself to talk about my love who was over a thousand miles away. "The only reason Jacob phoned Renee is because he was jealous. He was jealous because I fell in love with Edward and not him." It was no secret how Jacob felt about me and Phil nodded, showing that he knew what I meant. "Edward is _not_ unstable." I said softly, my voice shaking slightly. "He's had a hard life and he's so strong because of it." I looked into Phil's eyes and I knew that I could tell him anything. "Edward …… Edward lost his parents when he was seven. They were killed in a car crash and he blamed himself. He blamed himself for ten years. And because of that, he became extremely depressed and withdrawn. Not even his adoptive family could get through to him. And then …… then …… about a year ago." I closed my eyes, a tear running down my cheek, because it would have been a year ago, almost to the day. "About a year ago, he, um …… he tried to kill himself." I heard a small intake of breath come from across the other side of the table. "It's only because of his sister that he's alive. She went up to check on him and found him, unconscious, bleeding from … from …" I shook my head, not able to get rid of the visual of Edward, lying there in his own blood, slowly dying. Especially when I had seen the scars up close and personal almost every day for the last year or so.

"It's okay, Bells." He reassured me, giving my hand a quick squeeze. "I think I know what you're trying to say." I looked up at him and I saw that he did understand what I was trying to tell him and yet couldn't.

"After that, the whole family moved to Forks. And what with the family being new, everyone was obsessed with them." I choked out a sobbed laugh. "I have to admit, even though I could remember exactly what it was like being the new kid in town, I was intruiged as well." I sighed, gently, looking back down at the table. "But whereas everyone else was looking to try to go out with one of them or whatever, I don't know, I was instantly drawn to Edward. He just looked so sad and alone, even with his family surrounding him at lunch. I knew there was something wrong. Something that nobody else, besides his family, knew about."

"Well, you have always been perceptive about people." Phil chuckled and I smiled.

"The main thing that I noticed about him was that, at lunch, he didn't have a single bite of food." I shook my head as Phil's brow furrowed. "Not one. That made me wonder about him even more. I later found out, that along with his self harm, Edward also had, an in some ways, seeing as he's still in recovery, still has, an eating disorder." I heard another small gasp from Phil and I looked up to see a huge amount of pity and pain in his eyes. "When he moved to Forks he was severely anorexic and bulimic. He did it so that he could block out the pain of his parents death and so that he could feel something other than the guilt that overpowered him. I knew then, that I had to help him. That that was what I had to do no matter what.

"And I did. I was the first person, and in actual fact, the only person outside the family to know of Edward's problems. He told me that he felt like he couldn't lie to me or keep secrets from me. I tried to help him get better. His whole family did. Oh, Phil, you should meet his family. They are the kindest, most selfless people I've ever met. They'd do anything for Edward. And as I've recently learned, they'd do anything for me. They're the large family I never had." He nodded his head gently, not speaking so that I could continue with my story. "Well, we thought that he was getting better. But he wasn't. He was lying to us all. We only found out because someone threatened him because he was getting close to me. He had a heart attack in school and got taken to the hospital. It was then that I realised I was in love with him.

"I know what you're going to say. I'm only seventeen. I'm not old enough to know what real love is." I sighed and Phil shook his head, gesturing with his hand for me to carry on with my story. He looked deep in thought, mulling over the newly acquired information. "After he was released form Forks Hospital, we took him to an eating disorders clinic in Seattle. I stayed there with him for a little under two months, until they felt that he was ready to tackle this on his own. Of course, I went to see him every weekend, and he was improving. He was getting healthy again, Phil." My voice cracked and tears were flowing freely down my face now. I didn't care. It was only Phil. He'd seen me cry before.

"He was in there for eight months and when he came out ……… he was a completely different person. Where he'd been withdrawn and invtroverted before, shying away from everything and everyone, he was laughing and joking around with his family. He was _healthy_, Phil. For the first time in _ten years_, he was healthy." I sighed again, looking at my left hand which rested in my lap, watching as the light from the kitchen glistened off of each of the diamonds embedded into my engagement ring and wedding band. "I'd never seen him so happy. But then …… then Jacob came around." I could hear my voice becoming harsh now as I recalled what Jacob had said to Edward. "He'd been out of the clinic for a matter of days, two weeks at the most and it was his eighteenth birthday. Of course, his family being his family, held a party for him. Jacob was there, and he said some pretty horrible stuff to him. He um, he called him, and I'm quoting so don't have a go at me about this, 'a fucked up little freak'. I had never been so mad,and it was obvious why Jacob did it.

"It was after that that Jacob called Renee and fed her all those lies about Edward being unstable and dangerous or whatever. Edward isn't unstable. He's really not. He's just had a hard time dealing with what's happened in his life. And there is nothing dangerous about Edward. If you met him, then you'd know what I mean. I don't think that he's able to hurt a fly." I sighed, resting my left hand on top of Phil's, intentionally bringing to light my engagement and wedding bands. "I love him so much. It's like, I've left half of myself in Washington. The only half that means anything, that makes sense at all. I feel …… empty."

I looked at Phil to see him staring at my left hand and I had to control myself greatly to suppress a smirk. I had been right. Renee hadn't told him about my marriag to Edward, complete with blessing.

"Phil, are you okay?" I asked, looking into his eyes. He looked up at me, his eyes serious now.

"Bella?" His voice sounded strong and weak at the same time. "Are those what I think they are?" I nodded. "When?"

"Five weeks ago." I sighed. "I'm not Swan anymore. I am now Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. Mrs. Isabella Marie Cullen." I sighed, smiling at how much I loved my name with his on the end. I showed Phil the crest and he smiled.

"Bells, if you married this boy, what are you doing here?" He asked, seriousness in his voice. He probably thought I was stupid to leave Edward back in Forks. I hated that I didn't have a choice.

"I didn't have a choice." I whispered and his brow furrowed.

"What do you mean, 'didn't have a choice'? Of course you had a choice, Bella." He actually sounded a little pissed now.

"Renee … she told us that if I didn't come back with her then she'd involved the State police in the custody arrangement that she and my Dad have over me and-"

"Wait, what?!" Phil held up his hand, stopping me. "Bella, you're married." I nodded. _Way to point out the obvious, Phil_. "The custody agreement is null and void."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Bella, your parents don't have any legal rights to you anymore. You don't have to do what they say. You always had the choice of coming back here or staying in Washington." He explained and suddenly realisation washed over his face. "You didn't know that did you?" I shook my head, tears pooling in my eyes again. These weren't tears of sadness or rememberence, as the ones before had been. These were tears of anger. "If a person under the age of eighteen marries with consent of one or both of the parents, then after the marriage, the child is emancipated." He rubbed his forehead with his fingers, sighing softly. "Your mother has no legal rights to you anymore. Neither does your father. Technically, since you are still seventeen, your welfare is in the hands of your husband."

"So I didn't have to come here?" I closed my eyes and whispered harshly.

"No, you didn't." Phil confirmed. "You always had the choice. You didn't have to come with Renee."

"Thank you, Phil." I sighed, leaning over the table and giving him a hug.

"You gonna go back to Forks?" He asked and I nodded. "Good. Sounds like you've got a hell of a husband waiting for you." He grinned at me and I smiled back.

"There's something I have to do first." I said gently, pushing myself away from the table.

I slowly walked out of the kitchen and climbed the stairs, heading towards the room I knew Renee would be in. I was seeing red at this point. She had lied to me! She had lied to me just to get me to come with her. How on earth am I related to this woman.

I knocked on the door and I heard a muffled "come in" come from the other side. I opened the door and stepped into the room, straddling the threshold.

"Bella?" She got up off of the chair she was sitting on and made her way towards me, her arms outstretched, expecting a hug and for me to talk to her again. I stepped fully into the room, and held up my hand, signalling for her to stop. She did just in front of me with a look of confusion on her face.

I wish I knew what I was going to say, what I was going to _do_ at this point in time.

And then I did the only thing that I could think of. The only thing that would be even remotely affective on someone as hard headed as Renee.

My hand swung up from my side and violently, forcefully made contact with her cheek, her head jolting it the other way, a resounding 'crack' hanging in the air a few seoncds afterwards.

I wasn't normally one for violence, but hey, it was the only thing I could think of doing. I wanted answers from her and I wanted them _now_.

And I was sure as hell going to get them.


	52. Sorry, authors note

**_Sorry, I know I'm probably going to get in a lot of trouble for this but this is not an update._**

**_Just a little thing I like to call an Author's Note._**

**_Annoying I know, but justified._**

**_There are three things I want to put across to you all in this little AN._**

**_First:_**

**_I want to let you know that I'm going to focus on finishing Protecting Him._**

**_It's almost at its conclusion now, so I'm going to finish that and then come back to writing Alive Again, Breaking The Habit and Eternally Damned._**

**_It shouldn't take me too long, so don't worry._**

**_Second:_**

**_I'm doing a one -shot of Protecting Him from another POV._**

**_It's a POV we haven't seen yet and I wanted to get in another character's perspective of the whole story._**

**_The choices are:_**

**_- Carlisle_**

**_- Emmett_**

**_- Esme_**

**_- Jason_**

**_- Rosalie_**

**_Head across to my profile and let me know which one you want to see._**

**_I _will _be posting one of them, your vote will influence which one._**

**_Third:_**

**_I have a couple of new stories in the works, with a couple of chapters written for each and when I've finished Protecting Him, I'm going to be posting one of them._**

**_Here's a short synopsis for each of them:_**

**_Without A Trace: When six teenagers are kidnapped without a trace, the only evidence left behind being a single white rose, the police are at a complete loss. Without the teenagers being linked in any way other than the rose left behind, the detectives hired are at a loss of how to find them. Will they find the teenagers in time, or is it up to the group of adolescents to discover what they can about their kidnappers and each other to find their freedom? Will they make it back to their families?_**

**_Rescue Me: Bella, Alice and Rose are Dommes with a purpose. They rescue abused Subs and try to rebuild confidences in themselves before sending them to work so that they may re-enter the world when they have repaid their debts. What happens when our three Dommes come across three Subs that have been abused beyond anything they've ever seen before. Will they take a chance on the three of them, or will they see them as a lost cause?_**

**_Under Your Spell: The Cullens, Hales and Swans are the oldest and most respected families in the small island town of Forks, just off the coast of Washington. Their families hold traditions that others don't understand close to their hearts. But they have a large secret that they keep from the rest of the town. One that could destroy everything their ancestors built over three centuries. What happens when the town finds out? Will there be repercussions as large as the three families fear? Or can the one thing they base their lifestyle around save the day? What will happen when you combine three families, an angry town and a little bit of magic?_**

**_Into The City: Edward and Bella are both lost and jaded teenagers running from their pasts. From miles apart they share a common goal. New York City. What happens when they find each other? Will they let the other in and trust them with their darkest secrets, or will they remain closed off and distant to everyone else around them? Can they help to heal each other as no one else can? Have they really left everything behind?_**

**_Moving Art: Edward, though he has everything he could want - his own tattoo parlour, his close friends and an annoying brother and sister - he's always felt that he's missing something. Bella is stuck in a rut. In a relationship she doesn't much care for anymore, she doesn't see a way out. A student at NYU, she's always been seen as boring and predictable. That is until she decides she wants a tattoo. Egged on by her best friend Rosalie, she decides to get one done and which shop should she happen to go to? Edward's. Will sparks fly between these two as he turns her into his very own moving masterpiece? Warning: Tattooes Britward. (Sorry, he's been a fantasy of mine for a while now)._**

**_Escaped: Edward is on the run. Holding many secrets in his mind, he is found by Bella and Emmett collapsed on the side of the road. Will they discover what the twenty year old they rescued is hiding from them? Or will Edward's past catch up with him and educate them in a far less cordial way? What is it about Edward that captures Bella's attention and what is it about him that could either save or destroy them all?_**

**_So those are the choices. I'm going to put another poll up on my profile and see which gets the most votes. As with the one-shot, one of these _will_ be posted, but you get to influence which one it is._**

**_Sorry about this, but I need opinions and the announcement._**

**_Please don't review on this chapter. This will be taken down once I post new chapters of each story. If you have any questions or opinions send me a PM and I'll get back to you._**

**_Later. x_**


	53. She's Gone

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

_**I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long, but it's been extremely hard to write. Edward's point of view is becoming increasingly hard at the moment, so bear with me on this one. When it comes to Edward's point of view, updates might take a little longer.**_

**EPOV**

She was gone.

She promised me that she would never leave, and she did.

The rational part of my brain told me that she had no choice. That she _had_ to leave. That if she had a choice she would have stayed with me rather than go back to Phoenix. And then the other part of my brain. The part that made me paranoid and scared told me that she had left me, just like everyone else had.

My parents had left me. The friends I used to have back in Chicago before I had lost my parents, they'd all left me.

Everyone left me when they'd had enough of me.

They used me when they wanted, and for what they wanted me and then when they'd had enough of me, they tossed me aside like last weeks garbage.

I had spent most of my time in the house that my parents had bought for Bella and myself. I didn't want to leave. Ever.

The others had come to stay with me, realising that I didn't really want to leave the house and be sociable. They didn't enforce their company on me. But they made sure that I ate. Thankfully for the unreasonable side of my brain, they didn't stay to watch me eat or make sure I kept it down.

I knew I had begun losing again.

Rapidly.

My metabolism was still out of whack from recovery and I knew that it would take a while for it to level out. It was still increased from the increase in calories I had been receiving lately, and that meant that I was losing more that a normal person would, burning more calories than I was taking in.

I didn't care about that.

All I cared about was the fact that Bella wasn't here and most likely wouldn't ever come back.

She was the one person in my life that I had trusted to never leave me and she was now gone. She had left just like everyone else had, and I didn't know if I could cope.

It wasn't just the fact that she wasn't here anymore. It was also the fact that she was the last person in a long line that had left me. Everyone I loved, left. It was as simple as that. And all those that caused me shit, stayed.

I didn't take to cutting again.

No matter how much I felt the need, I knew it would be too obvious. The downward spiral I was falling into yet again. If I began to cut again. At all. Then I would be discovered and then I would most likely get sent back to the clinic. I couldn't handle that. I didn't think I could handle the shame that I would feel at having to go back there.

It wouldn't only hurt me to go back, it would hurt my family. The family that have put so much faith in me to get better. To help myself, even when Bella left. They would feel it as though they were feeling each and every cut that lined my skin. They would feel the hurt like they were feeling each and every pang of hunger ripping through my stomach. And I couldn't put them through so much hurt.

Not again.

_They haven't left you._ The rational side of my brain argued. It was true. They hadn't left me. Even while I'd been in the clinic, the line of communication had been open. They had phoned and visited whenever they could. And they were still here now, when the one love in my life had gone.

_For now._ The more sinister side of my brain shot back and I had to, yet again, agree.

Who knew when they would abandon me. Because there was no doubt that they would. Even if they are my family, they would leave me.

_Technically, they _did _leave you._ My head continued to argue with itself, seemingly splitting itself in two over what happened when I was in the clinic. _They left you there, without a second glance. And what happened? You got attacked, didn't you? Shows how much they love you. How much they _care for you_!_

No matter how much I didn't want it to be, the voice telling me that I was alone, that my family didn't really care, was winning out. It made more sense than the logical side, meaning that it was the side I was going to be listening to.

So here I was, lying in my bed – as it turned out, the bed Bella and I had made love in for the last time was actually the master bedroom, so I guess we got lucky there – with my brothers and sisters now staying with me more than they were staying at home.

"Edward?" I heard a small voice at the door and I knew it to be Alice. She was the only one who actually came up here. The others didn't like the idea of disturbing me, seeing as I was, as Emmett said, 'wallowing'. "Hey." She called gently, sitting on the edge of my bed.

I didn't answer her, hoping that she would leave me alone. I kept my eyes closed but that didn't stop the tears from falling. I just hoped that Alice would leave me alone.

"Edward?" She called again gently, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I knew that she wasn't going to leave me, so I turned over slowly. "Ali." I whispered quietly, wrapping my arms around her waist. I was thankful that I was wearing an oversized sweater I had acquired when they had given it to me in the clinic. They had seen that I was incredibly self-conscious whilst in there, so they had given me a large sweater so that I would feel more comfortable.

She leaned over, pressing her forehead to my temple as I rested my head in her lap. "It's okay. It's okay." She whispered over and over again, gently running her fingers through my hair. "It's alright."

"No." I whispered in return, shaking my head as much as I could. "It's not okay." I sniffed gently as she tried to comfort me. "She's gone."

"She's coming back, though." She pressed her lips to my temple gently. "She loves you, Edward. You know that. You've spoken to her as much as you can. She's going to be back as soon as she can. You've got to believe that, Edward."

"I don't know that I can, Ali." I whispered, clutching my sister tighter than before.

She wrapped her arms around me, tighter than before. I felt her tense up slightly and I knew then that she'd felt that I lost weight again. "You have to, Edward." She sighed against the side of my face. "You just have to."

I didn't reply to her, but instead just closed my eyes, and willed everything away. I didn't want to feel anything anything anymore. It hurt too much.

She was gone.

Nothing else mattered. I couldn't hold her anymore.

_She doesn't care about you._ My mind hissed. _She never did. She never cared about you._

The next thing I knew, I was falling into oblivion. Right where I want to be.

_____________________________________________________________________________

I was still mostly asleep when I heard people shuffling around me. The pillow was softer than the one I fell asleep on so I knew that I had been moved to an actual pillow, rather than resting my head on Alice's knees.

"_He's losing again._" I heard a voice whisper harshly. I knew that was Alice as she had reacted when she wrapped her arms around me.

"_Shit._" I heard someone mutter and I heard footsteps moving around right by my bed. "_Are you sure_?"

"_Of course I am_." She hissed back, sounding extremely stressed. "_When I hugged him earlier, he had lost. I could feel his ribs and spine, when I sure as hell couldn't feel them the last time I hugged him properly."_

"_Shit."_ A different voice hissed. I knew that to be Jasper's voice. "_Ali, this is bad._"

"_No shit, Sherlock._" She spat back, extremely pissed.

"_No, Alice._" Jasper pleaded with Alice, trying to calm her down. "_We found out that something that Bella can come back. Actually, we spoke to her earlier today, when Carlisle was still at work. She's worked out the same thing. Apparently, Phil told her._"

"_Told her what_?" She asked, sounding confused.

"_We found out today that Bella didn't even have to leave."_ Jasper explained, whispering quickly. "_Renee lied to us all. She didn't have to leave. Because Bella married Edward, with Charlie's permission, she was legally emancipated. Renee and Charlie have no say in what she does or doesn't do anymore. They have no say anymore. Legally, the one who's in charge of Bella's welfare now that she's married ……… is Edward."_

"_Really?"_ Three voices said, shocked in unison.

"_Yes_." Jasper confirmed.

None of this was sinking in. Some part of me didn't want to believe what he was saying. _Because it's not true._ The unbelieving part of my mind told me. I was inclined to believe it at the moment. Nothing anyone was telling me was true.

"_So, Edward is basically in charge of Bella's welfare and affairs?"_ A voice, I'm guessing was Rosalie's voice gasped unbelievingly. "_Whoa! That's weird. To think that Edward is in charge of what happens with Bella."_

I could feel four pairs of eyes on me, and I fidgeted, sliding slowly down so that my duvet covered my head. It was slightly better than before. Now at least I couldn't feel them really staring at me. They were just there, in the same room as me.

"Edward?" I heard a soft voice next to my head. I guessed that it was Rosalie, because it was slightly deeper than the one earlier, whom I knew to be Alice. "Edward, honey, wake up." She cooed, gently pulling the duvet away so she could see my face. "Oh, Edward."

I felt the bed dip and her hand slide under my head, gently lifting me up in an embrace. "You guys." She whispered and I felt something wet gently drop onto my face as her thumb gently brushed my cheek. I hadn't realised I was crying until she wiped the tears away. "Look at him."

"I can't believe we didn't notice." Emmett whispered.

"We have to get Bella back here." Jasper murmured and I could hear him pacing. "Now."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Rose asked, murmuring against my hair gently. "I mean, we know that Bella knows that she can leave Phoenix as soon as she can. But we can't exactly tell her that he's gone back to……" She pressed her lips to my forehead gently. "It'd destroy her."

"I know." Alice whispered and I could feel her tiny fingers running through my hair as well as she bed dipped slightly under her miniscule weight. "But she needs to know."

"Edward needs her here." Emmett agreed with them.

_But she's not coming back, is she, Edward? No. Because nobody that you love ever stays with you. They learn that you love them, and they become so disgusted with that idea that all they can do is leave in whatever way they can. Your parents left you. And the only way they knew how, was to _die_! That's all you're good for. Is driving people away._

I didn't want to listen to the voices ridiculing me in my mind, but I couldn't block them out. They were right. That was all I was good for.

_You're going to destroy this family. _

I was going to.

I was doing it right now.

Even now, when I wasn't even fully conscious, I was tearing them apart. I was worrying them. Filling them with fear they didn't need to feel.

_And Bella? She must have realised what a pathetic waste you are. It's a good thing that you've gone back to starving yourself. Make yourself disappear._

By now, the logical side to my brain had been completely drowned out. The side of my brain, that they had called "Anorexic Edward" in the clinic – for some reason, they'd thought that by applying a physical name to it, it would be easier to get rid of (whoever comes up with these theories must be on something, I tell you that now) - was screaming at me loud and clear. That was all it ever did. Tell me how worthless I am. How much I need to disappear. That there was nothing in this world that I deserved.

_Of course………… there's no way you deserve Bella. She's probably realised that now._

I felt myself falling again and I gladly let the oblivion of sleep wash over me, hoping to drown out the remainder of the conversation my siblings were having.

It was all lies, anyway.

She had left me.

Bella was not coming back.

_____________________________________________________________________________

I blinked my eyes open slowly, to reveal a mass of blonde hair surrounding my head. I lifted my head up slowly to see that Rosalie was lying down next to me.

I felt a small body on my other side and saw that Alice was spread out across from her. Both of them had their arms flung over me, their hands clasping each other on my chest, seemingly trapping me there. I didn't have the energy to get up, so I just lay there, waiting for them to get up, or at least move.

"Wakey, wakey." I lifted my head up to see Emmett shifting in the large armchair that was situated in the corner of the room by the door. I looked around and saw that Jasper was spread out on the large leather sofa that had been in my room before, which was now underneath the large bay window that filled the room with light. "How're you feeling?"

I shrugged, not knowing what to say, or even if my mouth would form the words, or my voice box produce the sounds. I didn't want to try it so I didn't bother.

"Why didn't you tell us, Edward?" He asked, and I heard him get up and walk over to the bed. "Why didn't you tell us that you were feeling this bad? We would have been there for you."

"You couldn't do anything." I managed to choke out, feeling tears running down my face. "You don't understand."

"No." I looked at him and he was shaking his head, a sad expression on his face. "But because you didn't say anything to us, we didn't _know_ either." He leaned over and gently took Alice's hand out of Rosalie's and picked her up bridal style. He carried her over to the large cushioned bench that was in built to the bay window, Jasper was currently asleep under. He gently placed her down, before picking up a blanket that lay abandoned on the floor and draping it over her tiny form.

He made his way back over to the bed and sat down where Alice had just been laying.

"You could have told us, you know?" He said softly, brushing my hair out of my face. "We wouldn't have judged you." He sighed as I closed my eyes.

"I'm sorry." I whispered as I felt a single tear run down my face. "I didn't know what to do."

"You need to know that you can _talk_ to us." He told me, sounding ever the concerned big brother. "If you don't talk to us, then we don't know, do we?" I shook my head, slowly, knowing that he was right. "What happened? We thought you were doing okay. When did you……?"

He didn't need to finish the question for me to know that he was asking. "The night she left." I whispered and I heard the hiss of the intake of breath.

"I'm so stupid." He cursed himself under his breath.

"No, Emmett." I opened my eyes and he looked at me. I could see the tears in his eyes and he truly did blame himself and felt that he should have seen and known what was going on with me.

"I should have seen what was going on with you." He whispered, a tear running down his face. "I should have been a better big brother and seen how much you were really hurting. I should have known."

"Emmett," I sat up slowly, not really having the energy to move too quickly. "I didn't want you to see anything." I looked down at my hands, in my lap. "Just like before." I whispered the last part and he looked up at me slowly.

"Edward, I'm so sorry." He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me close to him. "I should have seen, even though you were hiding it. We should have known."

Even though the close contact made me extremely uncomfortable, I was grateful for the comfort that Emmett was offering. He was trying his best to make me feel safe and cared for and to a certain extent, it was working.

I buried my head in his shoulder as I felt more tears coming. "It's all over." I whispered into his shoulder.

"What's all over?" He asked, clearly confused. "Nothing's over."

"It is." I replied, resting my head in the juncture between his shoulder and his neck. To anyone looking in, this probably looked extremely weird, but to us, it was purely one brother trying to calm another. "She's gone." I closed my eyes and felt more tears running down my cheeks. The voices in my mind were screaming at me now. I knew that I shouldn't be saying anything to Emmett, but some part of me – the rational side – wanted him to know. Wanted him to help.

"She's coming back though." Emmett told me, trying to comfort me. "Bella's coming back. You know that she didn't want to leave, right?"

"Some part of me knows that." I admitted, sitting up and pushing myself away from Emmett. He didn't completely let me go though. It was as if he felt that if he let me go, I would disappear. "Some part of me wants to believe that if she could come back then she would, but…… I don't know. Another part of me knows that …"

"What?" I heard a small voice from behind me say gently. I turned my head and saw Rosalie lying there, awake with tears streaming down her face. She had heard the whole conversation between Emmett and I. "Another part of you knows what?"

She sat up, her eyes glistening with tears that were just waiting to be shed and I hated myself for making her feel this way. This was just more proof that all I did was hurt people. That was all I was good for.

"Edward?" Emmett asked, looking at me.

"Another part of me is convinced that …… she's not coming back." I whispered this, slamming my eyes shut. "Some part of me knows that no matter how much I want her to, she's not coming back and it doesn't matter how much I love her. She's gone for good."

"No, Edward." I looked over and saw that Alice and Jasper were now awake and looking at me with tear filled eyes. "That's not true."

"I'll be betting that she's on a plane right now, flying back here, just to come home to you." Alice added, climbing off of the bench that Emmett had placed her one, clutching the blanket around her shoulders gently as she made her way towards me.

"I want to believe you, Ali." I whispered as Rose slid her arm around my shoulders, holding me to her tightly. "But, I just……"

"We know." Rose whispered, pressing her lips to my temple.

"But you _don't_ know." I said forcefully. "You _don't_ understand."

"Then why don't you explain it to us." Alice said softly, sitting on the edge of my bed, Jasper settling next to her.

"I don't know that I can."

"Please try." Rose whispered, trying to sort out my hair gently.

"I wouldn't bother with that mop he's got, Rose." Emmett chuckled. "You know it's never gonna stay down."

"I know." I felt her smiling against my temple. "Gotta try though."

"Edward." Alice called softly, and I looked up at her to see her eyes swimming with unshed tears. "Please. We need to at least try to understand. To know."

I sighed heavily, nodding slowly, looking down at my lap. "I don't know how to explain it." I sighed, closing my eyes. "It's like …… it's like there's two me's. One of them is telling me that everything you're saying is true. That everything I've been hearing and feeling is right. That she's going to come back and everything's going to be okay-"

"Which it will." Emmett cut me off, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"But then…" I carried on, not really recognising that he had interrupted. "There's something else in my head, telling me that everything is absolute bullshit." I whispered harshly. "That everything I know wrong. That's she's not coming back, that I've driven her away, because ……"

"Because?" Alice nudged softly.

"Because everyone that I love leaves me." I finished and Rose clutched me tighter to her.

"That's not true." Jasper whispered gently, choking back a small sob. "You know that's not true."

"We love you." Alice reached across and rested her hands on my knees. "And we're still here."

"You love us, don't you?" Emmett asked, wiggling his eyebrows as I looked up at him.

I let out a choked laugh and nodded. "Of course, I do. Just not in that way." I added, as he smirked at me. Even so, it was a sad smirk. "But it's only a matter of time."

"Until?"

"Until you all disappear." I whispered, closing my eyes and leaning back against Rosalie.

"We're not going anywhere." Rose whispered and the others all nodded.

I closed my eyes, leaning against one sister, the other resting her head in my lap, my brother's glancing between me and each other, once again letting the deep oblivion of sleep take me, yet again.

____________________________________________________________________________

"_I can't believe she lied to you._" I heard a harsh whisper echo throughout the room, in my sleepy haze.

"_I know."_ I heard a beautiful voice sound. I knew that voice. That was the voice I wanted to hear for the rest of my life. _"And she had the nerve to tell every single lie she could to Phil as well. It was him that made me aware of the fact that Renee lied."_

"_What did you when you found out?"_ I heard Emmett asked, glee in his voice. Obviously he was looking for an exciting tale.

"_I hit her_." I heard her sigh.

I opened my eyes slowly, and saw the one person that I wanted to see. She was sitting there, smiling, looking around at the othera in the room. She looked different. Her cheeks, even though they were flushed with the slight embarrassment of her admission, weren't as rosy as they had been before she left, her skin was paler – if that was possible – and her eyes didn't have the same intense sparkle that they did before.

What had happened to her in Phoenix?

She turned to look at me and a huge smile lit up her face at seeing me awake. "Hey, you." She whispered, resting her head on my bed, next to mine. "Oh, I can't believe I lasted even a day without seeing those gorgeous eyes of yours."

I smiled gently at her as she grinned at me.

"We'll leave you two to it." I heard someone say as three out of four bodies started moving. I heard a slap and then a resounding 'ow' as I guessed Rose hit Emmett over the head. He started to move and then I heard the door close.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you, love." She whispered, brushing my fringe out of my eyes.

"I thought……" My eyes began welling up with tears. "I thought you weren't coming back."

"Oh baby." She crawled into the bed. _Our_ bed. It was _our_ bed again. At least I hoped so. "Of course I was always going to come back." She wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly to her. "There was nothing that could ever keep me away. No one can ever keep me away from you." She sighed, holding me to her tightly, as if I was going to disappear if she let me go. But then again, I was holding her in the same way. "Oh, baby. You're so thin."

I could hear the tears welling up in her voice. I buried my head in her shoulder, taking in the scent of her strawberry shampoo.

"You've lost weight." I whispered gently, looking up at her. She looked away from me guiltily. "It seems like I'm not the only one who's been neglecting my health."

"I know." She mumbled. She slid down slowly so that she was level with me. "Edward, love. There's something I need to tell you."

"What?" I asked, the confusion coming through in my tone. "What is it?"

"First, I want to make sure that you're real. And that I'm really here. With you." She smiled.

She moved closer to me, gently pressing her lips to mine.

I melted into it, revelling in the feeling of her lips on mine. I needed this. This is what I needed to survive.

The feeling of her lips on mine.

The taste of her.

Knowing that she was here, that she was real.

She broke away from me, too soon, if you ask me, peppering kisses all over my face as I drank in the sight, smell and sound of her.

"I needed that." She whispered, resting her forehead on mine, pressing tiny little kisses to my nose every few seconds.

"What did you need to tell me?" I asked, closing my eyes slowly, taking a deep breath, inhaling her beautiful scent.

"Edward." She took a deep breath and then said the two words that turned my entire world upside down, yet again.

"_I'm pregnant."_


	54. Returning Home

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

_**This chapter is for xXxEternallyDazzledxXx for giving this story is 2000**__**th**__** review. Which to me is absolutely awesome and I love all of you guys for it.**_

_**I have a feeling that you're not going to love me too much because this story is coming to a close soon. I'm not sure how many chapters are left, but its not too many, which means that we are coming to the much anticipated prologue scene.**_

_**I'm going to tell you now that I have already written that scene so I know exactly how it's going to go, but here's the catch. I've written two versions and the version that gets posted will all depend on how many reviews I get from now until that time.**_

_**You'll know when it's time for that chapter. Trust me. You'll know.**_

**BPOV**

Renee stood there staring at me, her mouth hanging open clutching her cheek. If the situation between us hadn't been so stressful and serious then I might have found her expression remotely funny.

I stood there fuming, my hands clenching and unclenching at my sides as I forcefully stood there, trying not to hit her again. It was proving tougher than one would have thought.

"You lied to me." I hissed through gritted teeth.

"About what?" She took her hand away from her face and stood up straight, jutting her chin out into the air in an act of defiance. I was sure it was supposed to be me striking that pose, but whatever. I wasn't in the mood for games.

"I didn't have to come here." I hissed again, knowing that if I allowed myself to actually use my voice properly either a string of profanities that would have made Emmett proud and Esme blush incredibly and threaten to wash my mouth out with soap or I would have started screaming bloody murder at her. Or both. I knew I had to remain calm at the moment. "You lied to me and I want to know why."

"To protect you." She answered instantly.

"Bull!" I spat back, knowing that that wasn't the reason she had done it. If she had wanted to protect me she would have come to Forks and talked with Edward and Charlie, gathering all the information she could about the situation like any _rational_ mother would have done.

But I was forgetting that it was me that had looked after her when I was growing up.

Her and her flighty whims of fancy, doing what she pleased while I was the one that had to be the grown up.

"Excuse me." She looked at me, her expression becoming angry as a large handprint was appearing on her face. Rose would be proud.

"I said 'bull'." I stood there and crossed my arms over my chest. "That's not the reason you did it and you know it. Why did you tell me that I had no choice but to come here? Why did you rip me away from my home? From the people I call my family? From the man I love? What would you have done if someone had done the same with you and Phil? What would you have done if someone was poisoning Grandma against Phil, but you knew better, you knew what he was really like, but no one would listen to you? How the hell would that make you feel?"

"That wouldn't be the same." She argued.

"How wouldn't it be?" I fired back, not backing down at all. She wasn't going to win this fight. "Now." I took a deep breath, steadying myself. "Three things are going to happen today." I looked into her eyes. "First: you are going to give me the answers I want, no exceptions. I ask a question, I want the truth. That's the least of what you owe me. Second: I am going out for a walk before I rip your head off, because don't think I won't. I am _that_ pissed with you. Third: You are going to book me a ticket back to Seattle and then a joining flight to Port Angeles. For tonight. I am going back to Forks. _Tonight_."

"You can't." She replied, her eyes widening. "I'm your mother and I-"

"Nothing you say means anything anymore." I shot at her. "I'm married now. Until I'm eighteen, there is only one person that is responsible for me. And he's back in Forks." I took another deep breath. "So, you are now going to tell me _why_ you lied to me, _why_ you didn't just see for yourself what was going on, how Edward and I were together and _why_ you made me move all the way out here when you knew that I didn't want to." She didn't say anything, only looked at the floor. She knew that she was in the wrong. "Well?"

I felt like a parent, scolding a child but I needed to know. I needed to know why my own mother didn't trust me enough to make my own decisions. Why she didn't think to listen to me. Why she didn't believe me when I told her what was really going on.

"I'm sorry, Bella." She said softly, looking at me. "I was …… scared, I guess."

"Of what?" I was confused. What the hell was she scared of?

"Of you becoming like your father and I." She answered and I rolled my eyes.

"So you think that because I've married young, I'm going to get pregnant and then get divorced because I married too young, is that it?" I asked her, sarcasm thick in my tone. I'd noticed that Phil hadn't made an appearance. Smart enough to stay out of the way.

"You might not think it'll happen, but I thought the same thing." She told me, her voice hardening. "You don't know what's going to happen in the future, Bella. You just don't know."

"But I do." I replied, sure of myself. "Edward and I are strong enough to get through anything. We've been through so much already, and it's only made us stronger."

"That might be true now, but-"

"You don't know _us_." I snapped, my hands balling into fists again. "You cannot liken Edward and my relationship to yours and Charlie's. There are so many differences. We might be young, yes, but that is the only similarity. We have been through so much, and if we were going to be broken, I think we would have been by now. But no, my love for Edward is just as strong as it was before you got involved, before Jacob threatened him on the beach-"

"Jacob threatened him?" Renee's jaw dropped open. She obviously didn't know about that.

"Yes." I nodded, remembering that day. "Edward was down on First Beach. Because of the fact that he'd been let out of the clinic so late in the school year, Carlisle didn't want him to go back to school until the fall. He went down to the beach, obviously just looking for some peace and quiet when he gets apprehended by Jacob, Seth and Embry. Jacob is the only one who attacked him, but who knows what would have happened if we hadn't shown up at the beach. Edward could have been seriously hurt." I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. _I guess couples really _are_ alike, huh?_ I thought to myself. "And this is the _boy_ you choose to believe over your own daughter."

"I'm sorry, Bella." She whispered again. "I didn't know that Jacob had taken things that far."

"Well, he did!" I looked up at her. "Jacob is so lucky, and you are by association, that it didn't set Edward back in his recovery any further than it did."

"What do you mean?" She looked confused. "Recovery?"

"Edward is _not_ 'mentally unstable' or however you and Jacob have labelled him." I explained, getting extremely pissed off. "He has an eating disorder." Her brow furrowed even further, probably thinking of how he can have an eating disorder and remain sane. "As a way of dealing with the grief and guilt of his parents death." Her furrowed brow of confusion gave way to a look of understanding and devastation.

"Guilt?" She asked, sounding unsure of herself.

"They were killed in a car crash when Edward was seven. Edward was in the car and he's the only one who survived. They call it Survivors guilt. Starving and harming himself was the only way he could think of to deal with it."

"That poor boy." She whispered, looking down at the ground. I don't think I was supposed to hear that, but I did.

"And after _ten years_ of harming himself, starving himself, just to stop feeling anything he's getting help. He's _had_ help and he's finally getting somewhere, when you swoop in and destroy his life again."

"But don't you see Bella. He's only using you as a support system. He-"

"Don't!" I pointed a finger at her. "Don't you dare say anything about Edward. You have no idea what we have been through together. He _needs_ me and you weren't even understanding enough to listen to me, his family, Charlie, _anyone_! Except Jacob because he was telling you what you wanted to hear. Let me guess, you wanted Charlie to side with you, to tell you that I was being a stupid little girl. That I was making the biggest mistake of my life?! Newsflash! Charlie _loves_ Edward. And he's thrilled to have him as his son in law."

"Charlie always was a fool." She sneered, obviously pissed that someone she thought was going to be an ally in this was actually a foe.

"Maybe in this case, you're the fool." I said quietly, taking a leaf out of Rosalie's book and going for the quiet and menacing. Whether it was working or not, I didn't know, but hey, it didn't hurt to try, did it? "So. You thought I was too young. Is that it? Or is there more?"

"Like I said," she looked back up at me, "I was protecting you."

"From what?"

"From him." She replied quickly and I scoffed. "From that boy you call your _husband_ now."

"I don't need protecting from Edward." I glared at her. "Edward is the kindest, sweetest, most caring man I have ever met. He's considerate and kind, gentle and loving, yes, he may have a bit of baggage but hey! Who doesn't?! He is the most wonderful man I have ever known and you _and_ Jacob could learn some manners and consideration from him. I'm going out for a walk, purely so I don't rip your head off, which I am very liable to do at the moment and I want you to book me a flight back to Seattle and Port Angeles for _tonight_."

"You won't have time to pack for tonight." She looked slightly smug but I gave her a sarcastic smile.

"I never unpacked." I replied, walking out the door and down the stairs. I threw on my shoes and stalked out the door, wanting, no _needing_ to get away from her.

I don't know how long I walked for but by the time I reached the park I used to play in, I had calmed down a lot.

I sat on one of the swings, watching the people around me playing with their kid. I couldn't help but smile as I watched them, hoping that someday, that would be me.

"Bellsie!" I turned around to see two friends of mine from high school before I left walking towards me. Dennis and Mary. They were both grinning at me as they walked over and I couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, you guys." I jumped off the swing and walked over to them. "How you doin'?"

"Meh." Mary shrugged, looking over the park. "Same old, same old, you know?"

"It's kinda got to the stage of the holidays where you actually _want_ to be back in school." Dennis chuckled and I nodded, grinning at him.

"So what're you up to?" Mary asked, nuzzling into Den's side a little more. These two were so cute and it made me miss Edward even more.

"I'm, um, I'm going home." I said quietly and they nodded.

"Well, we'll catch you later, then?" Mary asked, sounding hopeful and I shook my head.

"That's not what I meant." I sighed and they both looked at me slightly confused. "I'm going back to Washington." Their faces turned into identical expressions of understanding. "I'm needed there. I belong there."

"Hey." Dennis nudged me slightly on the shoulder, just as Jasper would do when trying to cheer me up. "You've got to do what's right for you. You can't keep bowing to everyone else's demands. Your mom was wrong in making you come back here. You should have been given the choice of where to live."

"As it turns out, I didn't have to come here after all. Because I'm married, neither one of my parents has any rights to me anymore. Edward is the one in charge of my welfare now."

"And I don't know anyone better to take care of you." A familiar voice said from behind me. I looked behind me and saw Siobhan standing there, smiling sadly at me. "Go be with your man."

"Thank you guys." I looked at the three of them, grateful that they understood. Better than my mother anyway.

"I'd forgotten that you've met him." Mary said to Shivs and she nodded.

"Yeah." She grinned. "And everything that Bella said about him is true. He really is one of a kind. The only guy I know worthy of our Bells."

"Thanks guys." I grinned again, knowing that these three will always have my back. "Hey, maybe next summer, I'll come and stay, in a hotel obviously, and bring Edward with me. I know he'd love to see you again Shivs." She giggled and started bouncing up and down, clapping her hands gently. "Are you channelling my sister in law here?" She laughed and shook her head. "Well, you're doing a good impression."

"I'm confused." Mary admitted and Dennis nodded quickly, agreeing with her.

"My sister in law, Alice, she's ……… um … imagine Tinkerbell on crack and you've got Alice." They both laughed and I nodded looking at Shivs who was also nodding. "I've um… I gotta go." I sighed, looking at the ground. "I've told Renee to book my flight back for tonight so, I gotta go."

"Wait!" Siobhan cried suddenly. "You can't leave without saying bye to my mom." She stuck her bottom lip out at me and I crumbled. Hell, that expression had even worked on Alice so I stood no chance.

"Alright." I laughed and she grinned. I hugged Dennis and Mary goodbye and told them that I would stay in touch when I went back. I would try, but something in my gut told me that there was something happening back in Forks. Something that would take up a lot of my time.

It was a short walk back to Siobhan's house and we filled the time with inane chatter about nothing in particular.

"Mom!" She shouted when we reached her house and walked through the door. A faint yell told us that she was in the kitchen.

I followed Siobhan through the house to the kitchen, where her mom, Joanne was making their dinner it seemed. I don't know what it was she was making, but for some reason, even though it smelled nice, it was making me feel nauseous. I dry heaved before I had to run to their downstairs bathroom.

"Bella!" The cries of the two people in the house followed me through.

"Bella, are you okay?" Shivs was behind me in an instant, holding my hair back. "You're not ill, are you?"

"Not that I know of." I spat into the toilet and pulled the flush, standing up slowly. "I'm sorry. I don't know what that was."

"Are you sure you're okay, honey?" Joanne asked me, putting a hand to my forehead, checking my temperature.

"I'm okay, really." I nodded. "It's just when I went into the kitchen, I felt really ill and couldn't stop it. I'm really sorry, Joanne."

"Nonsense." She looked at me, as though she was thinking about something. "Siobhan sweetheart, could you run and get Bella a glass of water?"

"Okay." She whispered quietly, standing up and disappearing.

"Bella." Joanne looked at me and it scared me slightly. "This might seem a little strange, but I want you to think for me okay?" I nodded, wondering where she was going with this. "When was your last period?"

I was confused. Why would my last period be of any importance? I had it …… _Shit! When _did_ I have my last period?_

"I don't know." I whispered, my hand covering my mouth. I thought for a minute working it out. "It was …… two months ago."

"What was two months ago." Siobhan asked, handing me a glass of water which I sipped, my hands shaking.

"My last period." I replied and she looked at me strangely.

"Why would you be talking about-" She stopped and her mouth formed a small 'oh' shape. "What are you going to do?"

"I have to get back to Forks before I can think of what I'm going to do." I told them. "I'm not getting rid of it. Never. If I am that is." I pressed a hand to my belly, finding myself hoping that I was in fact pregnant. It would mean that I was carrying a little piece of Edward everywhere I went.

"You know what, I'm going to head out to the chemist. They should still be open. I'm going to pick you up some tests and we can find out for sure." Joanne said standing up.

"Oh, no!" I told her putting a hand out to stop her. "I can wait until I get back to Forks."

"Nonsense!" She said, grabbing her bag and walking out the door before I could say another word.

"What time is your flight?" Shivs asked in a small voice.

"I don't know." I sighed. I took my phone out of my pocket and dialled Renee's number. Thankfully it was Phil who picked up. "Phil?"

"_Hey, Bells."_ I could hear him smiling on the other end of the phone. "_Your flight is at nine thirty._"

"Wow, that's late. I didn't know that they flew that late." I admitted, looking at Siobhan who was frowing and shaking her head, indicating that she didn't know.

"_Alright, well you've got three and a half hours to get to an airport which is thirty minutes away. When are you coming back?"_ He asked and I knew that he wanted to say goodbye. I had always gotten on with Phil and I wouldn't forgive myself if I left without saying goodbye to him.

"Soon." I told him. "I'm at Siobhan's at the moment. I've just got something I need to do and then I'll be back, okay?"

We said our goodbyes just as Joanne was walking through the door. "I picked up four, you know, just to be certain."

I nodded. "You really didn't have to-"

"Sshh!" She pointed towards the bathroom door, holding out the sticks and I took them, walking towards the door, feeling slightly more than scared and a little freaked. I was seventeen, married and possibly pregnant. Maybe I was more like Renee than I'd thought. I pushed her out of my mind. I was nothing like Renee. Edward and I were stronger than she and Charlie had been. If I was pregnant then it would be one of the best things that had ever happened to us.

I did what I was supposed to. I peed on all of the sticks and I laid them on top of their boxes, letting Siobhan and Joanne in when I was done, feeling quite scared. This should be something I was experiencing and going through with my mother, but I had the feeling that Renee would be a little less than happy and a little more than smug, revelling in the fact that I was now 'following in her footsteps' as they say.

Apart from technically, I'd done it the right way around.

Not that it mattered anymore, but hey, that's not the point.

"Time." Joanne murmured quietly, looking at me.

I shook my head at her. "I can't do it." I told her and she nodded, reaching forward and turning them all over, not seeming to care that I had peed on them.

"Well." She sighed, looking down at me. "I looks like you're pregnant."

"I'm pregnant." I whispered, looking between Siobhan and Joanne. They were both looking at me with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces, looking every bit the mother and daughter.

"Congratulations, sweetheart." Joanne ran her fingers through my hair lovingly and Siobhan wrapped her arms around me.

"Edward's gonna be over the moon." She said grinning from ear to ear. "I just know he is."

"I know." I nodded. I knew that Edward wanted children. It was one of the few things he did want. And now he was getting one. I checked the time on my watch and found that I needed to go.

I stood up and picked up the tests, throwing them all back into their boxes, saying that I would put them in the trash outside somewhere. Wouldn't want Shivs' dad coming home and thinking that either his wife or daughter was pregnant.

I hugged Joanne goodbye and walked back with Siobhan to my house. She had insisted on coming to the airport with me, saying goodbye there.

I met Phil in the kitchen and saw that he already had my suitcases at the bottom of the stairs. When I'd given hima questioning look he'd shrugged and his answer had been 'you hadn't unpacked'. I had to give him that one, but still, it was a little weird. I knew that Renee would have packed up what I did have out, which made things a little less weird.

We made it to the airport with around an hour or so to spare, but Phil being Phile couldn't really stay with us.

As I reached up to hug him, I knew that I had to tell him. "Phil." He looked at me and I wrapped my arms around him, whispering in his ear. "I'm pregnant."

He stiffened slightly and squeezed me a little harder before letting me go. "Are you sure?" He asked, his voice concerned and I nodded.

"Four tests kinda confirms it." I shrugged with a shy smile. "Can you not tell Renee until you know I'm in the air." I asked and he nodded.

"Of course." He reached down and hugged me again. "I'm happy for you, Bells." He grinned as he pulled away. "He better treat you right."

"He always does." I nodded, knowing that he was referring to Edward. "He doesn't know how not to."

After he left, Siobhan and I checked me in and then sat waiting for my flight to board. We chatted about everything and anything. She kept flinging baby names at me and I laughed off some of the weirder ones and actually mused over some of the nicer ones.

"So, when do you think it happened?" She asked, settling back in her chair.

"I have absolutely no idea." I shrugged. "It could have been the first time we made love in June or on the honeymoon, or-" I stopped, thinking through something. I had been on the pill. I shouldn't even _be_ pregnant by all rights. That's the only reason we didn't use a condom. We knew that we were both clean, seeing as we were both virgins when we met, and I was on the pill.

Thinking hard, I thought about what was going on around the time of each possible time. I knew that I was on it when Edward proposed, which was the first time we made love, I was on the honeymoon, because I remember taking it each morning. What about the meadow? What was happening then?

I was stressed out with all the wedding stuff that Alice and Rosalie were attacking me with, I know that much. Had I been consistent with taking it? I couldn't remember.

"What is it, Bells?" Siobhan was getting worried now. I could hear it in her tone.

"The meadow." I whispered and she looked at me confused.

"The meadow you got married in?" She asked as her brow furrowed.

I nodded. "You see, Edward and I didn't just get married in that meadow." I could feel the heat starting to rise in my cheeks.

"You didn't……"

"Right where we said our vows." I admitted, burying my head in my hands.

"Why you little-" She sat there with her mouth open, laughing slightly. "I never thought you had it in you."

"Well, I did in the meadow." I giggled and she laughed.

"Touche!" She laughed and I looked up to see and hear my flight being called. I looked at her and she held out her arms, enveloping me in a hug. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too." I sniffled into her shoulder.

"Take care of yourself and the little one and that gorgeous husband of yours." She grinned as I released her and started to walk towards the gate. "Call me when you get back."

"I will." I waved goodbye to her, before I walked through the gate.

Once I was on the plane I couldn't help but smile to myself, placing a hand on my belly. I was pregnant with Edward's child. I'd had him with me the whole time and I didn't know. Nothing else really mattered.

__________________________________________________________________________

Later on that evening (or was it earlier due to time zone differences?) I was coming in to land in Port Angeles. I hated that short plane ride from Seattle to PA. It was cramped and small and just overly icky. I had called Jasper to tell him that I was coming back. They had sounded so happy and relieved that I couldn't help but think there was something else wrong. I'd asked them, but they wouldn't say anything.

I had a gut feeling that something was wrong with Edward.

Even though, every time I had spoken to him on the phone when I was in Phoenix, he sounded like he was doing fine and even though he couldn't wait for me to get back, he was really doing okay. He was one of the best actors I knew, so I didn't know whether to believe him or not.

Hearing Emmett and Jasper talking the way they were, it didn't instill much hope.

I met them just outside the airport and they both nearly crushed me with their hugs. I told them to be careful and that I was only little, and they laughed at me, grabbing my bags for me and walking me out to the car. It turned out they had bought the Volvo. I smiled thinking about how Edward had been driving it when I'd left. I wondered why he didn't come with them. I asked them about it, but they kept quiet, only furthering my assumption that there was something wrong with my husband.

When we got back to Forks, we didn't go up to the main house, but off to the house that Esme and Carlisle had bought for – actually, if we're being technical _built_ for – Edward and I.

As soon as they parked the car in the drive I wasa out of there and in the house. Alice and Rose ran down the stairs meeting me at the bottom and nearly throwing me to the ground.

"Bella!" They both cried. "We missed you so much." Rosalie mumbled in my ear whilst Alice kept repeating that I was never allowed to leave again.

"Okay, need to breathe here." I giggled and they both scowled at me. "Not going anywhere." I took a deep breath looking around at them as the two girls released me. "Where's Edward?"

The four of them looked at each other. "Sleeping, still." Rose said, seemingly to Jasper.

"What's going on?" I asked, wary of what they were keeping from me.

"It's not good, Bells." Alice sighed, looking at the ground, tears welling in her eyes.

"He's relapsed, hasn't he?" I whispered and they nodded. "Fuck!" I cursed through gritted teeth. "I'm gonna kill Renee!" I made my way up the stairs, gesturing for Rose to show me which room he was in. "Did you know that I didn't even have to leave?"

"We found out today." Jasper explained what he had found and I smiled at my brother in law's persistence. Hardly anybody gave Jasper credit where it was due.

I told them what Phil had told me in Phoenix and the four of them were cursing Renee's name when we stopped in front of a door. I opened it slowly and recognised this as the room that Edward and I had made love in the night before I had to leave.

I gazed at the bed, feeling tears welling in my eyes. I couldn't let them fall. I had to be strong now.

What I saw took me back to when Edward was in the clinic. He had just been told that he had to have to tube put in. He had looked so scared and defeated and it broke my heart. That was what I saw now. Only this time he was asleep.

I walked towards him and knelt down next to the bed, level with his head. He was still beautiful. His long lashes casting shadows on his beautifully sculpted cheekbones. Who could ask for anything more?

"I can't believe that she lied to you." Rose whispered harshly, her hands bunching into fists at her sides. She was royally pissed and I almost felt bad for Renee if she ever showed her face around here again. Almost.

"I know." I said softly, turning back to my angel. "And she had the nerve to tell every single lie she could to Phil as well. It was him that made me aware that Renee had lied."

"What did you do when you found out?" Emmett asked, almost doing an Alice and almost bouncing with anticipation.

"I hit her." I sighed, my eyes scanning his face before looking at the others. They were all grinning their approval of my actions, just as I knew they would. I turned back to Edward to see that he had his eyes open. I couldn't help the large goofy grin that spread across my face at seeing him awake. "Hey, you." I leaned over and rested my head on the bed next to his. His head wasn't on the pillow so I couldn't use that, however much I would have liked. I needed to see those eyes. "Oh," I sighed, drinking the colour of them in. "I can't believe I lasted even a day without seeing those gorgeous eyes of yours." Cliché much? I didn't care. It was true.

He smiled at me and I couldn't help but grinning back. I vaguely registered the others leaving the room and closing the door behind them. All I knew was him.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you, love." I said in no more than a whisper, not wanting to risk speaking any louder. I brushed his fringe out of his face, purely as an excuse to touch his beautiful hair. Not that I needed an excuse any longer.

"I thought……" I knew there was something drastically wrong when his eyes began to glisten with unshed tears as he lay there looking at me. "I thought you weren't coming back."

"Oh baby." I lifted myself up and climbed onto the bed, crawling underneath the covers with him. "Of course I was always going to come back." I had to hold him, touch him, _feel_ him. I had to know he was still here. I wrapped my arms around his waist and felt how much weight he had actually lost. He had been worse. He had been thinner, but he was still in the danger zone. If he lost any more, then the strain on his heart would be too much and it could give out. Also, we had to be careful about how quickly he gained as well. Or else the same thing could happen. We were stuck for now. It would work out though. "There was nothing that could keep me away. No one could ever keep me away from you." I sighed, clutching him even tighter to me, rubbing my hands gently up and down his back. I could feel his ribs and spine and I couldn't help the whisper quiet sob that escaped me. "Oh, baby. You're so thin."

I tried not to start crying as he buried his head in my hair. It was harder than it seemed and eventually I lost, letting the tears fall.

"You've lost weight." He whispered in my ear gently. I couldn't look at him, for I knew it was true. "It seems like I'm not the only one who's been neglecting my health."

"I know." I mumbled, hating myself for it, especially now knowing that I do. Even without me being pregnant, Edward looked to me as a source of strength. If I was letting myself go in the same way he was, what good was I as a support system to him. I took a breath and wriggled down so that my nose was almost touching his. "Edward, love. There's something I need to tell you."

"What?" He asked, and I could hear the confusion in his voice. There was a slightly undertone of fear in there as well and I hated that. I would definitely be murdering Renee when it came to it. "What is it?"

"First, I want to make sure that you're real." I knew it sounded stupid, but it was what I needed right now. "And that I'm really here. With you."

I gently pressed my lips to his and practically melted. He was the same way, revelling in the fact that we were back together. I knew that I wasn't dreaming, that I was really here, because in my dreams, I could never get the taste of him right. It was always off somehow.

I broke away and pressed tiny kisses to his face, earning myself a small smile. "I needed that." It was like I was a junkie that had just got her latest hit and was now revelling in the effects. I rested my forehead to his and pressed tiny little kisses to his nose every few seconds. This made him smile so I was happy about that.

"What did you need to tell me?" He asked, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Edward." I followed suit, clearing my head slightly, hoping that he wasn't going to freak out when I told him.

"I'm pregnant."

_**Stopping in the same place. With the same cliffie!**_

_**Not fair is it?**_

_**Should have the next chapter up soon. It's EPOV so it might take a little longer, as his is slightly harder to do lately.**_

_**Please review.**_


	55. Breaking The News

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

**EPOV**

_"Edward." She took a deep breath and then said the two words that turned my entire world upside down, yet again._

_"I'm pregnant."_

She's pregnant.

She's expecting a baby.

_My_ baby.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. Was it true? Was this incredible woman expecting my baby? If she was, then there was something seriously out of whack with the universe because after everything that I've done, I don't deserve this.

"Edward?" She called my name gently, timidly, probably worried about the fact that I hadn't said anything yet. I was just trying to absorb it all. "Are you okay?"

"Are you sure?" I whispered and she smiled at me. It wasn't a huge smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"Well, if four tests are wrong then they're not making them like they used to." She giggled and I couldn't help but smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm……" I thought for a moment, wondering. How _was_ I? Really? Was having a baby a good thing? Was it something that we could do? Even with me as fucked up as I am?

Even though I knew that I probably wouldn't have much of a say in the matter, did I want this baby?

I didn't have to think about the answer. I knew it already.

Yes.

There was something inside my head telling me that this was a good thing. No. That this was the best thing that could happen to Bella and I. And it wasn't the same things that were telling me that Bella wasn't coming back, that she'd never loved me. Those had shut up. For now that is.

"I'm……I don't even know how to put it into words." I whispered, lamely, burrowing my head into her hair, causing her to giggle.

"Now, in a good way or a bad way?" I didn't miss the apprehension in her voice. She was afraid that I wouldn't want the baby, wasn't she? But then again, with my fucked up track record who wouldn't.

"The best way." I mumbled against her skin, inhaling the sweet scent of her as I did so.

She sighed and squeezed me tighter than she had already.

God, how I'd missed the feel of her skin, the smell of her hair, her touch as her fingers gently traced over my face, the taste of her lips on mine. This was something that I could never live without again. I never would. I was never letting her go.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It had been three days since Bella came back and I drenched in every moment I could with her. Those three weeks without her were like a void that I was so close to falling into again. The black hole that would suck me back down into oblivion and I didn't want that to happen. With Bella here, it was like I was constantly teetering on the edge, the depths threatening, laughing and mocking me, so close to pulling me back in, but only lapping at my toes as the waves on a beach.

I wasn't going to let myself get any closer than that. I couldn't afford to. Not only did I have Bella back with me, needing me with her, I had an unborn baby on the way.

Well, make that two.

It was twins.

Bella had made an appointment at the hospital for two days after she had returned from Phoenix. The rest of the family, even though they were excited to see Bella and wanted to be with her, realised that we needed to be alone and let us be. They didn't know about the pregnancy yet. We were going to tell them today.

Though how we were going to tell them when and where it happened was going to be a little awkward, although I think that they already know some of the story. But whether or not they knew that they had been standing on the very spot where Bella got pregnant while we said our wedding vows, that would be a little harder to explain.

As it turns out, Bella is almost two months pregnant and her due date was approximately the middle of April, but we had to give or take between two weeks and a month because it was twins.

"How are we going to do this?" Bella asked me, looking slightly worried. She was holding the sonogram picture in one hand, her other hand holding mine close to her belly. I still found it incredible that there were little people in there. Well, maybe they didn't look like that yet, but still, they were in there and that was all that mattered.

"I have no idea." I shrugged, kissing her shoulder gently. "They'll be thrilled. You know they will."

"I know." She sighed, leaning her head back on my shoulder. "How am I going to get out of the shopping trips."

"Face it, you're not." I chuckled and she scowled up at me, obviously not happy. "Hey, are you brave enough to go up against Alice and Rose. And you know now that there are babies involved you're gonna have to deal with Esme as well."

"I know." She sighed again, this time a little sadly.

She told me that she had told Phil at the airport that she was pregnant, but hadn't told Renee. She knew that he would tell her, and she was prepared for the aftermath of that, but I don't think she was prepared for what did happen.

_~Flashback~_

_I couldn't believe that she was here. She was back and in my arms. And even more than that, she was carrying my baby. It was incredible to think of._

_Even though I had wanted children, I had never thought I would ever have any. Until Bella came along that is. She gave me hope that I would be able to have a real family. She didn't realise that from the first time she told me that she loved me when I was in the hospital after the heart attack I suffered, I couldn't see my life without her in it._

_All of a sudden, Bella's phone starts ringing. She groaned, rolling away from me slightly, reaching out to see who it was calling her and breaking us out of our little bubble._

"_Renee." She mumbled, ignoring the phone and snuggling her head into my shoulder. "Phil's told her."_

"_Phil knew?" I asked quietly, running my fingers through her hair, savouring her sweet scent._

"_I told him just before I got on the plane." She admitted, looking up at me sheepishly. "Other than Siobhan and her mom, he was the first to know." She sighed, running her fingers up and down my arm. "The only reason they knew was because it was Joanne that suggested I might be pregnant in the first place."_

"_What? She just look at you and know?" I asked, with a low chuckle. "I thought that was Alice's job." I added on remembering that she had been able to instantly tell when Bella and I had made love for the first time. I still didn't know how she did that._

"_No." She shook her head. "She was making something in the kitchen and even though it smelled really nice. As in on a par with Esme cooking nice." Wow. That _is_ nice. "It made me feel really ill and I had to run to the bathroom. After that she asked me when I had my last period and we worked it out from there."_

"_What a story that'll be if anyone asks where it was conceived." I smirked down at her and she turned red._

"_Not one we'll be telling." She mumbled._

_The phone started ringing again, as it had while we had been talking, but with the distraction of our voices, it had gone unnoticed. She grabbed it and looked at the called ID again._

"_Renee." She grumbled. "Again." This time she didn't ignore it, but pressed the reject button, putting it back on the night table, only to groan and cling on to me tighter as it started up again._

"_You know how persistent she is." I told her, running my fingers through her hair. "She's not going to stop."_

"_Maybe I should set Alice on her." She grumbled, reaching over and opening the phone, pressing accept and putting it on speaker. I raised an eyebrow and she put it on the bed, in between us, wrapping her arms around me again. "What?"_

"_That's no way to talk to your mother, Isabella." Renee's irritating voice came through the phone. I snorted into Bella's shoulder and she slapped me gently on the shoulder._

"_Well, maybe if you were more of a mother, I wouldn't talk to you that way." I looked at her, wondering where this little hellion had come from. She shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Now, what do you want?"_

"_Phil tells me you're expecting." It wasn't a question, but a statement, and she was sounding rather smug about it._

"_What's your point?" Bella asked, rolling her eyes and glaring at the phone as though she wanted it to explode._

"_I thought you said you were different."_

"_We _are_ different." Bella clarified, clutching me closer to her. I rested my head on her chest, listening to the beautiful thump-thump of her heartbeat. "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean that Edward and I are going to end up the same way as you and dad." _We sure as hell are not._ I thought, looking up at Bella._

"_That's what you say now." Renee's smug voice came through again. Bella ran her fingers through my hair, seeing that Renee was starting to get to me. She gave me a look as if to say 'let me handle it'. It was a look that rivalled Alice's and I was trying to work out if someone who went against that was brave or just plain stupid. I wasn't either, so I shut up._

_What is it they say? Never piss off a pregnant woman._

_I can see where it came from._

"_Why can't you just accept that Edward and I aren't you and Charlie? Not everyone who gets married at a young age divorces their husband and takes their child thousands of miles away only letting them have contact with their father for a few weeks each summer."_

"_You know why I did that, Isabella." Renee sounded like she was having a hard time keeping her temper in check. I wondered if Phil was there, being silenced by his angry wife as I was._

"_No, actually I don't know why." She replied, her tone clipped and cold. I hoped that I would never be on the end of that tone. Not a good place to be from the sounds of it. "All I know is that you left and took me with you. I have no idea why. I was too young to remember, remember?"_

"_Just know that I had my reasons. And I don't want you making the same mistake that I did." Renee said, trying to sound soothing, but I felt Bella stiffen beneath me and I held her tighter to me. I'd heard the same thing that she did and it didn't take much to realise what Renee was talking about._

"_Mistake?" Bella asked shakily into the phone. "What mistake would that be?"_

"_Marrying your father. At least so young and…" She trailed off, obviously not knowing how to continue._

"_And?" Bella pressed as tears welled in her eyes. She might be in the middle of a huge argument with her mother, and the fact that it was over me wasn't something I wanted, but she still loved her. She was her mother. She was the woman that Bella was supposed to be able to turn to in times like this, when she needed her. This was not supposed to be how things were between mother and daughter. I might be a son, but I knew that much. Everybody needs there mom. And even though mine might not be here physically anymore, I had her with me all the time, and I had Esme. Who loved me like I was her own. And I loved her. Bella needed that with her mother, and it didn't seem like she was getting it._

"_What?" Renee asked, her tone back to being frustrated._

"_Are you saying that you made a mistake having me?" Bella asked, a single tear breaking free and running down her cheek. I pulled myself up so that I was level with her and gently placed a kiss on her jaw and then her cheek, kissing the tear away. She smiled at me, kissing my nose lightly. "You regret having me?"_

"_Sometimes." Renee answered slowly._

_More tears ran down Bella's cheek and I pulled her closer to me with one hand, picking up the phone with the other and taking it off speakerphone, placing it to my ear._

"_Renee, for a mother, you really should start acting like one, and until you can work up the decency to apologise to my wife, I don't want you calling her again." I told her, sternly, still clutching my tearful wife. "Goodbye."_

_I didn't say anything as I clutched her to me. We just lay there, needing to feel each other. I hated that Renee could and would make her own daughter feel the way that she did. She needed to learn that Bella and I weren't her and Charlie._

_That Bella isn't her._

_~End Flashback~_

"Hey." I nudged her ear gently with my nose. "It's okay." I whispered into her ear and she relaxed slightly, knowing that I knew what she was thinking about. "She'll come around."

"You think?" She asked, swivelling to look at me.

"I hope." I smiled at her before gently pressing my lips to hers.

"She won't." She sighed resting her head on my shoulder again.

"You never know." I countered and she scowled up at me, not really liking the fact that I was arguing with her, even if it didn't really count as an argument. "Come on, they're expecting us."

Esme had called, saying that she wanted a family day today and I could only imagine what was in store. Carlisle and Esme didn't know about my relapse. The others did, but they hadn't told them, feeling that it was my place to tell them, if and when I was ready. I didn't know that I would be. I just hoped that nothing came of it.

I hadn't gotten back to eating the way I had before Bella left. It was mostly small snacks and little bits and pieces here and there. I didn't want anything else and Bella was getting worried. She had every reason to be after all. It wasn't that I wasn't trying, because I was, but it was just harder than before. I remember someone saying that a relapse is harder to come back from. I was starting to see that.

Alice had suggested the clinic but Bella had shot down that idea instantly. The others just thought that it was because she couldn't stand to be away from me, but Bella and I knew that it was because she needed me here, with her through her pregnancy. Not that I would be any good. I had no idea what I was doing, but I guess that's beside the point.

We made the short walk to Esme and Carlisle's house to find that everyone was there. Even Charlie had made an appearance.

"What's all this about?" Bella asked, lookng around confused. Charlie just shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face. It was evident that he didn't have a clue.

"I just thought that seeing as it's Bella's first Sunday back and the last Sunday before you all go abck to school, that we could have a nice family meal." She looked over at Charlie who was looking confused and in my opinion, looking for a way to escape.

"That includes you Charlie." I told him and he scowled at me. I gave him a look as if to say 'if I have to sit through this, then so do you'. He shrugged and grinned at me. I really liked the Chief. He was easy to get along with and I think that now, for suffering with my family and not making a complaint, I admired him as well. He was brave.

"Actually, this works out quite well." Bella sighed, looking up at me. The others looked between us confused.

"Are you sure?" I asked her and she nodded. I sat down on one of the chairs, pulling Bella into my lap and she took a deep breath, looking at me and then at the family.

"Edward and I have some news." The others looked at each other in different ways. Esme and Carlisle looked confused and the kids looked worried, as if wondering if they thought we were going to tell them about my relapse. I caught Rose's eye and shook my head slowly. She visibly relaxed and I smiled at her.

"What is it, dear?" Esme asked, sitting on the sofa opposite us, next to Carlisle.

Bella took a deep breath, and I could tell that she couldn't contain the smile that spread acorss her face. "We're pregnant ……………… with twins."

As I should have predicted, pandemonium broke loose and Bella disappeared from my lap and was engulfed by the overexcited arms of Esme, Alice and Rosalie. I wondered if I would actually see her again today. Maybe not.

After congratulations and Bella shooting down Alice who had the idea of an afternoon shopping trip, we were all outside waiting for Carlisle and Charlie to stop breaking the barbeque and start cooking something on it. I had Bella on my lap again, Alice sitting next to us, gushing about how amaxing it was about the baby and then switching between hoping they were two boys or girls – because dressing them identically was cute apparently (something Jasper and Rose rolled their eyes at) – and then hoping that it was a boy/girl combo, because then she'd have one of each to dress. The best bit of my afternoon was Bella telling Alice that it would be her who was dressing her babies and no one else. Alice tried to argue back, but Bella was firm. I just stuck with the argument that I was staying out of it, getting understanding looks from Charlie and Carlisle.

They'd been here before after all.

It wasn't long before Charlie and Carlisle had the barbeque up and running and I felt the fear that I'd had for so long making its return. Bella, sensing my unease, squeezed my hand and placed her lips to mine gently.

"It's okay." She whispered, running her nose along my jaw. "You're okay. I'm here."

I closed my eyes, knowing, or at least hoping, that she was right. That everything was going to be okay.

Carlisle approached the two of us, two burgers on a plate in hand, handing it to Bella. She grinned and took it from him, and held it out to me.

"It's okay." She whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I smiled at her and took the burger, as she took hers and taking a bite, not focusing on me eating. I loved the way she was there for me, but not always watching me. I didn't deserve her.

I managed to get through the burger, with a lot of warring going on in my head, and even though she didn't make a show of it, I knew that Bella was proud. I was glad that she hadn't made a show. I didn't want any untoward attention on me. Something she knew. I knew that the others were proud as well.

Now I just had to keep it down.

Something that was proving harder to do than getting it down in the first place.

Bella made a move to get up, but I clutched onto her tightly, knowing that if she left me alone then the burger would definitely be making a reappearance.

"Are you okay?" She whispered, looking concerned.

"Stay with me." I whispered, resting my forehead on her shoulder and she turned in my lap.

"Always." She pressed her lips to mine gently. "As long as you need me."

"I'll always need you." I mumbled against her skin, before pressing my lips back to hers, a little more forcefully, but still aware that there were parents here.

"Good." She breathed, resting her forehead on mine. "Because I don't plan on going anywhere."

"Good." I smiled at her and she giggled back.

We sat there watching the others laughing and joking about. We even had a show of Rosalie and Alice attacking Emmett and Jasper with the ketchup and brown sauce bottles. _That_ was some funny shit. Seeing Jasper and Emmett running away from those two, squealing like girls was something to behold. Even the adults were laughing at them.

And the result? Well, lets just say, Emmett looks like he's been murdered and Jasper is now partially brunette.

It was getting dark when Bella and I started to make our way home. It felt strange saying that. Saying that we had to head home, when I was standing in Esme and Carlisle's home. It felt weird.

It was dark by the time we crawled into bed, wrapping our limbs around each other as we did so.

I drifted off wondering how in the hell I was so lucky to have everything that I did. I had a family that loves me and my own home – granted it was a gift from my parents, but that's not the point – but most importantly, I had a beautiful wife and two babies on the way.

I didn't deserve any of this, but I'll be damned if I'm letting it go.

**BPOV**

Everything was perfect. Edward was thrilled at the news of becoming a father. I had worried about how he would be, but it turns out that that was unfounded. I didn't need to worry. The Cullens' were ecstatic at the news of a baby, and even happier at the idea of two. And even Charlie hadn't had an embolism when we told them so it was all good. He was even happy for us. He had told me time and time again, that he knew Edward was the right guy for me, but until now, I never thought he truly meant it. I knew that if he hadn't, he would have exploded at the idea of his only daughter being pregnant. Even if I was married first.

He was actually excited about the prospect of being a grandfather. I just wished that he would send his good feelings to someone else as well.

I knew that I shouldn't really feel bad about what Renee said to me, but I couldn't help it. She was my mom and she was supposed to be here for me at a time like this. I was just happy I had Esme, and even Sue Clearwater – who my dad had been seeing for a while now – was happy for me. She told me that if I needed anything, not to hesitate to call. I knew that she, as well as the rest of the Quiletes who had met the Cullens, which was most of them, thought that what Jacob had done was dispicable and I thanked them for it.

I woke up on Wednesday morning, the third of September and groaned, rolling over. First day of senior year. I reached out looking for Edward, but I found that the bed was empty. And cold.

I shot up in bed. It wasn't like Edward to get out of bed before I did. Even if he did wake up before me, he always watched me sleep.

Then it dawned on me. He was starting school again today. He must be completely freaked out, which didn't surprise me. I mean, he was returning to school after an eight or nine month absence, but also as a senior who was married and about to be a father. Yup, he's probably freaked.

I climbed out of bed, making my way down the stairs to the kitchen where I found Edward sitting there reading the newspaper, seeming completley engrossed in it. I leaned on the doorframe, watching him, not caring when he looked up and caught me openly staring. Hey, this manhunk is my husband. I'm allowed to stare, alright?

He reached over and pushed a plate of pancakes over to me, smiling as he did so.

"Good morning." I whispered , hearing the adoration in my own tone.

I walked over to him, pressing my lips to his. He moaned gently, his newspaper forgotten. I ran my tongue over his lips, needing to taste him on my tongue. He parted his lips and I searched out his tongue with my own, needing the contact. He tasted like blueberry pancakes, which told me that he _had_ eaten this morning. That wasn't what I was after though. I was after one thing.

Him.

He was all I needed.

He broke the kiss with a series of smaller kisses, before resting his forehead on mine.

"Morning to you too." He chuckled and I slid onto a stool and began digging into my pancakes. I had been fortunate enough not to experience morning sickness, which I was grateful for. I didn't really feel like kneeling down to worship the porcelain gods every morning.

"How are you feeling this morning?" I asked him and he thought about it for a moment.

"Okay, I guess." He nodded, looking at me. "Freaking a little, I guess, but there's not really anything I can do about it, is there."

"Nope." I said, popping the 'p' as I finished my pancakes and hopped off the stool, pressing my lips to his head, inhaling the sweet scent of his freshly washed hair. "I love you."

"As I love you." He pulled me down slightly, attaching his lips to mine before I went upstairs and got dressed.

I knew that Alice was going to have a field day when my clothes didn't fit anymore. Hello, maternity shopping. That'll be a great day out.

After about half an hour, I was washed, dried, dressing and bounding down the stairs towards my waiting man. He really was gorgeous. And he was mine. All mine. Nothing that anyone did could take him away from me, and I had a feeling that some people were going to try.

We walked out to his Volvo, him holding out the door for me as I got into the passengers seat, grinning stupidly and yet worrying at the same time. I hoped that everything as going to be okay today. I just hoped that nobody interrogated him on where he's been. Nobody else needs to know. He knows that we had just told them that it was because of his heart that he wasn't in school for the remainder of junior year, but I didn't know how far they would take it. Would they leave him alone?

There was a comfortable silence between us as we drove. The others would be riding in Emmett's Jeep, so we didn't have to stop and pick anyone up.

They were already there when we pulled up, even though the parking lot was pretty empty. I was glad it wasn't completely full. That might have been awkward.

As he turned the engine to the Volvo off, Edward sat there, closed his eyes and sighed.

"Are you okay, love?" I asked, lacing my fingers through his.

He looked over at me and smiled, nodding his head. "I'm fine." He took a deep breath and we both got out of the car, making our way over to the rest of the Cullens.

As we all walked I couldn't help but clutch Edward's hand harder in mine. He chuckled, looking down at me as we both entered what could prove to be one of our hardest trials yet.

Senior Year.

_**So Edward's happy. Bella's happy. The Cullens' are happy. Charlie's happy. Eveybody's happy. Well, except Renee but she doesn't count.**_

_**Let me know what you think.**_

_**I've worked out that there's probably maximum five chapters left of Alive Again. That may or may not include the epilogue and there is going to be a bit of time skipping because otherwise this story will be never ending.**_

_**Gimme a review please. :D**_


	56. Back To School & Fun Times

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

_**I know that some of you are waiting for an update on some of my other stories, but I'm finally in the right frame of mind to finish Alive Again. It's not going to take long and is going to be an emotional ride. One that I need to stay on for the moment.**_

_**Exciting news! Saving Edward has been nominated for Best All Human and Best Angst and I have been nominated for Best Author over on the Silent Tear Awards. Will post a link on my profile ASAP :D**_

**EPOV**

Honestly, going back to school scared the shit out of me. I hadn't been to school in around eight or nine months and to say I was apprehensive was an enormous understatement.

"Are you okay, love?" Bella asked me, looking up at me as she laced her fingers through mine.

I looked down at her, trying to smile as best as I could. "I'm fine." I said softly, taking a deep breath and looking out of the car window at the school where I had suffered the worst physical pain of my life. Could I handle this? She squeezed my hand lightly and we both climbed out of my Volvo, making our way over to the rest of our family.

She squeezed my hand tighter in her own and I couldn't help but chuckle. Something told me that she was feeling the same amount of apprehension as I was about restarting school.

I just hoped that we would be able to withstand what the students of this school would throw at us. After the summer we'd had, I think we could withstand anything. But teenagers could be worse than any adult. It wouldn't take long for people to discover that we were married, but it wasn't that that I was worried about. It was when they found out that she was pregnant that I would worry. I had seen what children who had discovered something like that were like. I could only hope that the fact that we were already wed made a difference. I knew that it wouldn't have much of an impact, but still, I could hope.

We walked through the doors of the school, thankful that we were in the same homeroom class. We walked into the classroom hand in hand, and sat down, earning some perplexed stares. I recognised the two boys that Bella and I had met in Port Angeles on my birthday as they grinned and came over to us. Eric and Tyler I think their names were. I remember Bella also saying something about them while I was in the clinic.

"Hey, Bells. Hey Edward." They both grinned at us as they stood in front of our desks. "How was your summer?"

"Hey guys." Bella smiled at them, genuinely happy to see them after such a long time. "Um……it was ……… eventful, I think is the right way to put it."

"But I wouldn't change it for the world." I grinned at her and she smiled back. They both looked at us, confused expressions adorning their faces. I chuckled at them. "We got married." I told them without shame and they blinked a couple of times, before grinning.

"Wow!"

"And I thought I had a good summer, finally braving the swells." Eric ran his hand through his hair, blinking at us. He looked at our hands that were intertwined on the table, seeking out our wedding bands. They were clearly visible and he chuckled shaking his head. "Well." He put his hand over his heart, gently taking Bella's left hand in his and sighing. "We both know how much we wanted it to be me putting that ring on your finger." He was being so dramatic about it, that I couldn't help but laugh at him as he sighed again. "But I must say, no matter how much we want it, the best man won." He placed her hand back on mine, waving his finger at me. "Now, you look after her mister."

"Yes, sir." I gave him a mock salute and he nodded, finally cracking through his serious façade and laughing with us again.

"No, seriously man. I'm happy for the both of you." He chuckled, whacking me on the shoulder gently. Eric nodded, still grinning and followed him as they turned to take their seats.

"Well, that went well." Bella sighed, her eyes taking in my face. "But unfortunately, that wasn't the worst of the lot."

"I know." I sighed. I picked up her hand and kissed each knuckle gently, lingering on the finger that held my rings. "But remember: nobody can tear us apart. Not now. Not ever." I whispered and she pressed her lips to mine.

"Cut it out!" I heard an angry voice sneer. "Not everyone wants to see your mack-fest."

I looked up and saw one face that I would never forget. Mike Newton. It was because of him that I had had the heart attack. But then again, it was because of him that I had been sent to the clinic and was now married with twins on the way. So maybe I owed him a thanks. Not that I would be giving him any.

"Problem, Newton?" I asked, my voice dripping with boredom.

"Might do, _Cullen_." He sneered back, his tone filled with as much disgust as his expression gave away. He turned to face Bella. "So … still not come to your senses have you, Swan?"

"It's not Swan anymore." My angel shot back, a smug smile on her face as she rested her left hand on top of mine.

"What?" He asked, looking bemused.

"Are you deaf, Mike?" She asked, looking him in the eye and speaking slowly, stretching out each syllable as one would to a small child. "It's … not … Swan … any … more."

"What do you mean, it's not Swan anymore?" He blinked looking between the two of us, not matching up the smiles that we both wore to the glittering wedding bands that rested on both of our left ring fingers.

"Mike, I would have thought that even _you_ would be able to work it out." She sighed, holding up her hand and showing him the engagement ring she'd told me he already knew about while I was off school. Watching him turn a different array of colours was incredibly amusing, especially seeing as he didn't have any time to act on it as the teacher walked in and started handing out our schedules for the next year, calling out each students name to go and get their schedule from the front.

"Tyler Crowley."

"Edward Cullen." I stood up and got mine, walking past a glaring Mike on the way. After I'd got my schedule, I noticed that he'd stuck his foot out, probably hoping to trip me up on the way back. I sidestepped his foot and leaned down to murmur in his ear. "I have two older brothers. Do you really think that would have any effect at all?" That earned me a scowl as I continued to walk back to my desk. Bella looked at me, questioningly and I shrugged, smiling at her and she shook her head.

"Isabella Cullen." There were a couple of murmurs of confusion as Bella stood up and got her schedule from the front. It seemed that the school had been informed of our marriage and her name had been changed on her records. She even got a quizzical look from the teacher, but made no motion that she noticed.

We sat there and compared our schedules, glad that we shared most of them. She was glum about having to do gym whereas I was still not allowed to partake, due to the fact that I was still in recovery. The school had been told that it was because of my heart, and to some extent it was, but for the most part, it was because the clinic would shit a brick if they found out that I was partaking in gym at school _and_ still continuing with the workouts that I had been with Emmett and Jasper. Well, now it was just Jasper seeing as Emmett had gone off to Northwestern University a few days ago. I missed him like hell, but it was what he wanted to do and where he wanted to be.

Other than that and the fact that she had French where I had Spanish, our schedules were practically identical. Something told me I had my father to thank for that one. We grinned at each other as the bell went, making our way to our first class of the day. English. I wondered what we would be studying this year.

Sitting down in English, in a seat next to Bella, I noticed the frizzy haired brunette girl from the beach party in La Push at the beginning of the summer. It seemed that she had noticed me as well, because she looked over at me and giggled, wiggling her fingers. I turned away and looked at Bella who seemed to be laughing at the girl.

"What?" I asked her, slightly confused at her reaction. "Why are you laughing?"

"She obviously hasn't heard yet." Bella giggled, turning her head to face me, blocking the girl from her view. Probably so she wouldn't laugh anymore. "And when she does, she's going to be pissed because she didn't hear it first."

"What do you mean?" I asked, slightly confused.

"The fact that we exchanged vows over the summer. Ring any bells?" She rolled her eyes and I pretended to play dumb.

"Ummm……… was it that day? No." I cocked my head to the side, pretending to think.

"Edward!" She gasped, slapping me lightly on the arm.

I feigned hurt and pouted at her. "Of course I remember, you silly girl! How could I forget? One of the best days of my life."

"One of?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at me.

"There are a couple that rank up there." I told her, honestly.

"Like?"

"Well, the day I met you, is one." I looked at her in the eye. "Our first kiss. The day you said you'd marry me ranks high up there." I moved closer to her so that she would get embarrased about someone overhearing the next one. "The first time we made love-"

"That was the same day." She interrupted and I shook my head, holding up a finger.

"If you remember, it wasn't." She thought for a moment before realisation dawned in her eyes. "See?" She nodded, smiling.

"Carry on." She grinned at me.

"Well." I lowered my voice even more, not wanting anyone else to overhear what I was about to say to her. "Finding out about the twins is definitely joined first place."

She grinned at me, lacing her fingers behind my neck. "Really?"

"Really really." I answered with the cliché line but I didn't care. It made her smile. She pressed her lips to mine gently, drawing away as the teacher walked into the room.

English passed slowly. Much too slowly. We found out that during the first semester we would be focusing on King Lear. I'll admit it was an interesting, if not disturbing and morbid play, but I had a feeling that this teacher would be able to suck the life out of anything he was given to teach.

I made my way to Spanish after English, missing Bella's company already. I hadn't been away from her since she'd come back from Phoenix. Being together was something we both craved. We both hated being separated.

"Hey, Edward." I heard someone call my name and turned to see Jasper walking up behind me, a grin on his face. "How you doing so far?"

"Um, okay I guess." I nodded, giving him a small smile.

"Where you headed?"

"Spanish. You?" He grinned at me, chuckling slightly.

"Same." He shook his head, a fearful expression washing over his face. "I hope we don't have the same teacher as last year." He moaned quietly. "_She_ was scary."

"Jasper Cullen? Afraid?" I feigned shock. "Never! I refuse to believe it."

"It's true, man." He sighed, pretending to be depressed over the whole matter. Truth was, he was shit-scared of his own sisters, so someone else was bound to scare him. "The great Jasper, has felt fear." I couldn't help but laugh at him and his theatrics. Maybe he should quit school and become an actor. "Seriously though man, are you okay?"

"Yes, Jazz, I'm fine." I nodded, looking him in the eye. "I know you're worried about me, but I'm fine. Honestly."

"Any run ins?" He asked me.

"What's your name? Emmett?" I fired back, chuckling as we walked into the Spanish classroom, seeing that the teacher had yet to arrive. What was it with this school? Was it an unwritten rule that the teachers had to arrive later than the students. I always thought it was the teachers that were supposed to arrive earlier.

"Can't a guy be worried about his brother?" He asked innocently and I shook my head, chuckling.

"Okay, there's being worried and then there's being paranoid." I told him. "I'm alright Jazz."

I don't know if he believed me or not, but he had to shut up about it because the teacher chose that moment to make an appearance. He groaned in frustration and I guessed that this was the teacher he had had last year. The one that he didn't get along with.

Spanish passed in a blur of verbs and sentence sequencing. Nothing that I would ever use. I wasn't particularly interested in visiting Spain or Mexico or anywhere they spoke Spanish, so the whole class was kind of redundant. But I'd mastered French and could speak it fluently when I was back in Chicago, so I really didn't see the point of taking a class I knew I could do without even trying. Defeats the object of learning really, doesn't it?

History was the same, but althroughout the class, I was acutely aware of the clock ticking closer to the hour I was dreading. Lunch. When I had been here last year, it had been alright for me. I could chose not to eat anything and even though my family hated that idea, they knew that there was little they could do to change my mind.

Now it was all different.

Now I _had_ to eat.

That was the deal we had made in exchange for them not telling Carlisle and Esme about my relapse. I had to eat a full lunch in school each and every day. Bella hated this idea, but I knew that Alice, Jasper and Rose would make good on their threat if I didn't. They were only doing it to look out for me, so I couldn't really find it in my heart to be angry at them for it, as I would have been last year. Bella, on the other hand, had not been pleased.

_The Previous Day_

"_Edward, can we talk to you?" I heard Alice call from downstairs. Bella and I looked at each other before climbing out of bed and making our way down the stairs._

_Looking at my siblings I knew that there was something troubling them. They were all standing there nervously, looking between each other and myself. What on earth could be going on?_

"_What's up, you guys?" I asked as Bella and I sat down on the bottom step of the stairs._

_They looked at each other again, before Rose spoke up. "We're worried about you, Edward." She said in a small voice and I sighed, running a hand through my hair._

"_I know." I whispered, hating what I was doing to my family. I was hurting them, just as I had been a year ago._

"_Are you sure that you're okay to go back to school tomorrow?" Alice asked, a little unsure of herself. "Because I'm sure Mom and Dad would understand if you weren't. I mean, we could tell them that-"_

"_That what?" I snapped, my head shooting up to gaze into her eyes. Eyes that were filled with worry and fear. "That I've screwed up? That I've gone back to what I was before even though I swore that I wouldn't?"_

"_It's not something you could have helped Edward." Jasper sighed, looking at me, his eyes the same as the girls'. "I mean, they'd understand."_

"_No." I shook my head. "They are not going to find out, alright? They are _not_ going to find out. You guys have to promise me that you're not going to tell them."_

"_Alright." The three of them whispered._

"_But you have to eat a _full_ lunch at school everyday." Alice blurted out, her gaze unrelenting. "And it can't be just salad either. It has to be something ……… I want to say nutritious, but that's not really a good word to describe cafeteria food, so I'm going to just stick with …… _more_ than that. If you can do that, then we won't tell Mom and Dad."_

_I had felt Bella stiffening beside me and I could tell that she was not pleased with what my brother and sisters were suggesting._

"_How can you ask something like that of him?" She asked, standing up. "That's blackmail, Alice and you three know it." I could see her practically shaking and I was worried about her blood pressure._

"_Bella, love, calm down." I stood up and placed my hands on her shoulders._

"_No." She shrugged my hands off and stepped towards them. "How can you honestly stand there and ask that of him. I know that you think you're helping, but it's really not."_

"_We don't know what else to do, Bella." Rose was practically pleading with her to understand._

"_How about let him work through it on his own?" She suggested, her tone highly sarcastic. "Leave him be?"_

"_Sorry, Bells." Jasper shook his head. "We did that once before, remember? If we hadn't, maybe he wouldn't need us to do this." I winced slightly at his slight comment of how I'd been when Bella was in Phoenix. I hated that he'd brought it up, and from the look on his face, he did too. "Sorry, Edward."_

Present Day

I walked with Bella hand in hand to the cafeteria, her smiling at me as we made our way up to the food line. I wasn't unaware of the people staring at us, probably having heard that we were in fact married. I didn't care though. Who was I to care that people knew I was married to the most incredible woman in the world?

Bella grabbed a tray and started piling a mixture of things on it. 'For the both of us' she'd said, stating that she knew and had 'to teach me' what the 'safe' cafeteria options were. I didn't doubt her on that one, because most of the options there looked incredibly questionable.

After we paid for the food, we sat down and waited for my siblings to appear.

"I hate that they're doing this, you know." Bella grumbled, taking a bite of the grossest looking pizza I've ever seen. I wasn't sure I wanted her eating that, especially when she was expecting. She looked at me and I raised my eyebrows, glancing at the pizza. "It's fine." She shrugged. "It hasn't killed anyone yet. That I know of." She mumbled and I looked at her, worried.

I opened the sandwich we had bought and took a bite.

"So." She gulped down a mouthful of pizza. "We have yet to discuss baby names." I looked up at her and she smirked at me. "I was thinking ……" She looked at me through her long lashes and I knew that the next suggestion would be one that I wasn't going to agree with. "If there's a boy in the mix, then we could have ……… Edward." She whispered the name and I looked at her incredulously.

"Seriously?" I asked her, having finished one half of the sandwich. "You really want to burden our possible son with an already out of date name?"

"Well," she shrugged. "It's kind of tradition, isn't it? I mean, you're Edward and your dad was Edward. I just wanted to keep that going for a little while longer." She looked at me through her lashes, her bottom lip sticking out a little more.

"Don't make the face." I grimaced turning away from her. "Don't Bella. Don't do the face." I looked at her and my resolve crumbled. "Alright! Maybe."

"Yay!" She bounced up and down in her seat, clapping like a madman. I swear, she's been around Alice far too much.

"I said, maybe!" She pouted at me again, but at least she wasn't pulling the face this time. "But what if we have two boys? Won't the other one be feeling left out?" I smirked at her but she only answered with one of her own.

"Well, that's why, we call the other one Anthony." She replied with a wide grin on her face and I knew that I wasn't going to win this argument.

"Why?" I asked her, facing her, unblinking. "Why do you want to curse our children?" I asked her, in a low voice so that no one could hear us unless they were standing right next to us?"

"I am not!" She gasped, leaning back in her chair. "I happen to love your name."

"Really?" I asked her, slightly sceptical that she meant it. My name wasn't ordinary, I'll give her that. I mean, how many Edward's do you know? Point made.

"Yes!" She practically cried, her face adamant and unwavering. "I do! I love your name!"

"What about Edward's name?" Jasper asked setting his tray down next to me as I sighed and dropped my head onto my folded arms.

"What are you two talking about?" I heard Rose ask as I heard two more chairs scrape as she sat down.

"Baby names." I mumbled, looking up at them.

"What's the problem?" Alice asked looking between the two of us.

"Edward doesn't like his name." Bella stated matter of factly and the others looked at me, completely confused and looking for answers.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Bella, love, you do realise how strange that sounded, right?" She looked at me, her expression stern, slightly pissed and, quite frankly, a little scary. "I guess not."

"Edward, I happen to love your name." She told me again, and the others were still looking confused. "I don't understand why you wouldn't want to pass it on." I could see the others nod in understanding when they heard this.

"Bella, honey." I don't think this is an appropriate conversation for right now, do you?" She started to huff at me, but then I pointed out where we were and she seemed to relax slightly.

"We're talking about it at home though." She told me, threatening me with a plastic fork. I couldn't help but be a little scared. Charlie and Carlisle had both told me to expect drastic mood swings for the next six to seven months or so. I was beginning to see what they meant.

"Okay." I said quickly and Jasper snickered next to me. I kicked him under the table and he looked at me, wondering what the hell he'd done wrong. "Wait until you have a pregnant wife." I mumbled and he looked between me and Bella, who had now, it seemed, forgotten about the little disagreement of a few minutes ago and was happily enjoying her lunch.

"I see what you mean." He mumbled back before looking down at my lunch pointedly. I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, focusing on Bella again.

The rest of the day after that passed extremely slowly and I couldn't wait to be home with Bella. I just wanted to hold her in my arms.

I just hoped that not everyday at school was the same as this one.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Edward? Edward?" I heard someone gently calling my name, and I registered a faint poking in my side. "Edward?"

I moaned and rolled over in bed, hiding my head under my pillow, vaguely wondering why my arms were empty and why I was being poked and prodded at ……… 2:43AM.

"Edward." I yelped and practically flew out of the bed as I felt a pinch on what I must say is a very tender spot. Not one any man wants to have pinched at ridiculous o'clock in the morning, by his wife.

I stood up, hearing giggling and I turned on the lamp and staring at Bella through my sleep filled eyes.

"Yes, love?" I asked, trying to stay upright. I could tell by the look on her face that she was having a craving. "What are you after?"

"Um… I don't want to say." She mumbled, looking sheepish and burying her head in the pillows.

"Why not?" I asked, crawling back onto the bed next to her.

"Because you'll think it's gross." I heard her mumble and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Most likely," honestly, I thought that all of her cravings were a little gross, but I hadn't been there before so who was I to say anything. "But still, I don't care." I shrugged.

"Really?" She looked up at me, her huge brown eyes peering over the tops of the covers.

"Really really." I used the cliché line, yet again, and she sighed. "What do you want?"

"Um…nutella and some pickles, please." I felt my nose crinkle at the thought.

"You're right." I nodded, getting off the bed anyway. "That is gross."

"Shut up." She mumbled and I made my way out of the bedroom and down the stairs, chuckling to myself. _Hell, my wife has some weirdass cravings. I'll have to ask Carlisle if Esme was the same. Especially with Rose and Jasper._

It was now the beginning of November and Bella was entering her fourth month and second trimester. Thankfully, we hadn't had to deal with morning sickness, but there were a few bouts throughout the previous month when she felt more nauseous than other times. She had started showing at about ten to twelve weeks, but we had been assured by the doctor we saw that it was because she was expecting twins in her first pregnancy and because she was so tiny herself. Alice of course was overjoyed, purely because she had an excuse to go shopping with Bella now. Maternity clothes apparently. It didn't matter that Bella could still fit into her normal clothes. Alice had decided she needed to go maternity shopping, so maternity shopping she went.

After a few minutes, I located the nutella stuff that she loved so much and the pickles. Personally, I found both to be disgusting, but hell, that was my own personal opinion.

I made my way back up to the bedroom, to find Bella sitting in the middle of the bed. She grinned at me as I passed her the food, but surprisingly she turned around and placed them on the table beside her side of the bed.

I looked at her confused as she turned back around. I was about to ask if she was okay when she grabbed the front of the tshirt I'd worn to bed and crushed her lips to mine, twisting me around and straddling me on the bed.

_What the hell?!_ I thought, slightly worried about my wife. But then again, I remembered Carlisle and Charlie advising me that the next trimester was very …… _active_, was the way they had both put it. I could tell they weren't kidding around.

She tore my tshirt over my head and started pressing open-mouthed kisses down my chest, getting lower and lower with every kiss. I gently grabbed her arms and pulled her up so that she was face to face with me.

"Are you okay, love?" I asked her and she nodded, her eyes wide. "I thought you were hungry."

"I am." She smirked. "Just not for nutella and pickes anymore." With that she pressed her lips to mine again, forcefully, pushing her tongue into my mouth. She pulled away and bit down on my earlobe a little more forcefully than she usually did. I let out a moan and she smirked, obviously feeling my growing erection. "Fuck me, Edward." She whispered in my ear.

"What about-" I started but she cut me off.

"They're fine." She reassured me. "Remember, the doctor said that sex won't harm them in any way." She smiled at me and I pulled her head down, crushing her lips to mine. As a matter of fact I _did_ remember the doctor saying that. And hell, who was I to argue?

I flipped her over, resting most of my weight on my arms as I peppered kisses over her collarbones and neck. She yanked off her top and I immediately took one of her breasts into my mouth.

"Ooh, they're a tad sensitive lately, love." She giggled, running her hands through my hair.

"Sorry." I mumbled, pressing my lips to hers again.

"Quit with the apologies and _fuck me, Cullen_!" Where the hell had _this _Bella come from? Not even the Bella from our honeymoon could contend with _this_ Bella.

Her hands ran down my back, her nails digging in and probably leaving marks as she went. I couldn't help but moan at the sensation. She yanked down my pyjama pants, freeing me from the confines of the material as I continued my assault on her throat. I felt her pushing my pants down my legs with her feet before they pooled on the ground with a soft thump. Hers were next. Those tiny boy shorts that were a pathetic excuse for pyjama pants. They were gone in seconds.

"Please, Edward." She gasped as I positioned myself at her entrance.

"What is it, love?" I asked, receiving a glare in return. "What do you want?"

"I want you……" She breathed, her chest arching up into mine, pressing herself into me. I could feel the stiffness of her nipples against my chest. I could even feel the slight bump that was forming in her belly. Physical evidence that my children were in there. "Inside of me." She whispered in my ear and I growled, thrusting into and buring myself within her in one swift motion. "Fuck!" She hissed and I could tell from her expression that it was pure pleasure.

I began thrusting in and out of her at a measured pace, not wanting to over-exert her in any way. She met my thrusts with hers in precise and syncronised movements.

"Fuck, Edward!" She panted, her nails clawing at my back, spurring me on even further. "Harder." She hissed and I obliged. I felt her walls fluttering around me and I knew that she was close. Her body was so responsive to mine, especially now in pregnancy, that she reacted to my every touch and gesture. I ghosted my hand down in between us and ran my thumb over her most sensitive little nub, causing the most incredible reaction from her. She arched up into me, pressing her entire body into me as her walls clamped down around me, bringing me to my own climax.

We both stilled completely as we rode out our orgasms together, panting and laying soft and tender kisses on the exposed skin of the other.

I gently slid out of her and she wrapped herself around me, legs entangling around mine. I wrapped my arms around her, leaving one hand to rest on her belly, as I had done ever since I found out about the pregnancy.

"That was …… wow." She breathed, still panting and I nodded.

"Fuck." I breathed back, pressing my lips to hers. "If its gonna end like that every time you wake me up, then I am _not_ going to argue."

"I'll hold you to that." She giggled, deepening the kiss slightly, before sighing and resting her head in the hollow between my neck and my shoulder.

She could do that whenever she felt like it.

No arguments from me.

_**I thought that they deserved a little more fluff before anything else happens.**_

_**Yes, you read it right. We are in November now. And the prologue happens in December.**_

_**Some of you are going to hate me, but I urge you to please continue reading the story. A lot of you have followed it from the beginning of Saving Edward and I love you all for it, so please don't abandon me now. Not when we're so close.**_

_**Please review.**_


	57. Last Confrontations

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

_**Royale Toure – you asked some questions in a review, but I couldn't answer them because it was an anonymous review, so I'm going to answer them as best I can now.**_

_**Where is Tanya? Is she in jail? **__Tanya was placed in a nice big shiny box and dropped off a cliff in La Push XD As most of you had expressed you wanted something along those lines to happen to her._

_**What about Jacob? **__Jacob will be making a reappearance soon. Not gonna say when._

_**Does this story have a happy ending or is Edward really going to die? **__No comment on that one. If I answer it will give away the rest of the story._

_**One thing I will say though is that both the endings I have written will be posted. One will be the real ending and the other will be an alternate ending. Not decided which ones which yet though.**_

**BPOV**

The last month or so had been great.

The twins were healthy and growing, starting to make themselves known at around eighteen weeks. Now they hardly stopped moving. Edward was amazed every single time, still overjoyed with the fact that he was going to become a father. He had never thought that he would get to a point in his life where he would become one, and it was just so incredible to know that I was able to give him his one wish in life.

He was doing amazingly back at school. He had been a bit tentative and nervous for the first week or so, while the gossip about us being married had still been going strong. I had to thank someone I used to call a friend, Jessica, for that one. It was clear she was jealous, and I couldn't help but feel a little smug about that.

After those first week or so, he had begun relaxing when we were in school. He still wasn't allowed to partake in gym, but most thought that that was because of his heart – thank god we had been able to quell the news about his eating disorder before it had become ingrained in people's minds. They knew about the heart attack he had suffered, so falling back on that as the excuse seemed like the right way to go.

Carlisle had sent in a medical note for me, saying that for medical reasons that he was unable to disclose, I would not be able to partake in gym any further. I had begun showing around four weeks ago, and now I had a bit more of a protruding belly. Belly Bells is what Jasper had taken to calling me. I didn't mind. I knew that it wasn't something meant to upset me.

Thankfully, nobody had discovered my pregnancy yet, which I found incredible seeing as I was in a school full of gossip mongers, expanding by the day. Well, maybe not _that_ rapidly but still, I was getting pretty big, pretty fast. It wouldn't be long until everyone knew about Edward and I expecting. But then again, I didn't really care. The only reason we hadn't told anyone before now was at my insistence. I would never tell him, but I didn't want to run the risk of something happening to Edward.

Call me protective or whatever, I don't care. Maybe its just my maternal instincts coming through.

I had been verbally challenged by Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory more than once since returning to school. To be honest, the last time was just plain funny.

_Flashback_

_I made my way out into the main area of the bathroom, rinsing off my hands and splashing a little water onto my face. I was hot. Too hot for the middle of November. It had to be my hormones or something. Whether or not this was natural, I wasn't sure. I'd ask Esme about it when I got home today._

"_Well, well, well, what have we here?" An annoyingly nasal voice said from behind me. I sighed, knowing who it was immediately._

_I lesuirely pulled a paper towel out from the dispenser and dabbed my face dry with it, throwing it in the waste paper basket on the floor beside me before I grabbed my bag and turned to face the two little harpies that stood in my way._

"_Lauren! Jessica!" I gasped in fake surprise. "I didn't even realise you were there. You really shouldn't be sneaking up on people like that you know."_

"_Whatever, loser." I smirked at her lack of ability to come up with an actual insult. "We know that you knew we were there. It's obvious."_

"_Yeah." I placed a finger on my chin, pretending to think for a second. "Maybe it _was_ obvious that I heard you. But you two obviously didn't get the memo: I'm not interested in anything you two skanks have to say." I had no idea where that came from. It must be the twins giving me a little helping hand._

"_Who are you calling a skank?" Lauren gasped, seeming disbelieving of what I just said._

"_Um, you two." I pointed between the two of them._

"_Well, at least we're not the ones who schemed her way into a fake marriage." Jessica smiled smugly._

"_What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, looking between the two of them. They really were clueless weren't they?_

"_You and Edward. Duh!" Lauren said, making her seem even more blonde than before._

"_And your sham marriage." Jessica still had that smug smile on her face and I wanted to just slap it into oblivion. I wouldn't let them see how much they were aggravating me though._

"_So you think my marriage is a sham, huh?" I looked between the two of them. "This wouldn't be because he shot you both down at the beach party would it? Or maybe because the two of you have been throwing yourselves at him since we've been back at school and he's not even considered looking your way? I think it might be those."_

"_Whatever." Lauren sneered, scrunching her nose up at me. "It's obvious that Edward will get bored of you sooner rather than later and when he does, he'll have a _real_ woman to see to his needs."_

"_By 'real woman' you mean village bikes, yeah?" I looked at the two of them. "I'm going to say this once, and only once. Stay away from Edward. If you don't, I cannot be held responsible for _my_ actions, or the actions of Edward's sisters. Because I can tell you now, they're just looking for a reason."_

_I smirked at the two of them, casually stepping between them as they stood there gaping at me like morons. This behaviour had to be because of the babies._

_End Flashback_

Needless to say, Lauren and Jessica stayed away from Edward, me and the rest of the Cullens since I made that little threat.

Doesn't take much I guess.

And that wasn't even the best part of the month. Oh no, not by a long shot. The best bit? I think you can guess at what that is, can't you?

Pregnant sex.

There are not words to describe it. And let me tell you, Edward is more than willing to meet my desires. Hell, he's a teenage boy whose hormones are on a par with mine. Since when is he even gonna say no? I hope he never does, because I don't think that I could live without getting some of that on tap. _Hmmmmm……… I wonder if I could persuade him into the janitors closet?_ I wondered, gazing out the window, yet focusing on what I was planning on doing to my husband when I got the chance. And these last few months, I've had a lot of time to imagine. _I wonder if he'd be open to……Stop it, Bella! You're sat in French! Stop it! Pay attention! Oh, thank god he's not in this class with you. He'd know exactly what you were thinking about._

That was one of the mortifying things about being in the same classes as your husband. He knows exactly what each and every facial expression, every fidget and every sigh means. And fuck me, did he use it to his advantage. The other day he actually said no! And everyone knows that my Edward has such an incredible poker face that I thought that he was being serious. I very nearly took him out of commission when I found out that he was only joking, but then I thought, I like that part of him too.

So I didn't.

I managed to sit through the rest of French without slipping back into a daydream about undressing my husband. Much, anyway. I managed to pull myself out of it before it got down to the nitty gritty stuff that could prove to be embarrassing later on.

I walked out of my classroom to find Edward standing there, waiting for me, just as he always was. I reached up and pulled him into a long, deep, lingering kiss, feeling him smirking slightly against my lips.

"Daydreaming again, were we, love?" He murmured into my hair as we started walking towards our next class.

"Maybe." I mused, looking around as we walked. He looked down at me, eyebrows raised and I looked up at him. "Alright, yes. Okay? I was daydreaming." I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest, being careful not to illuminate the bump directly underneath. I would have to thank Alice for her 'not-so-maternity-looking maternity clothes' as she'd called them. I swear she could have called them something else, but whatever. All I cared about was that they didn't call any attention to it.

"May, I ask, what about?" He whispered in my ear as we walked into History together.

"Nope." I answered, popping the 'p' as I slid into my chair, behind my desk. I leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Because you'll be getting a full demonstration later." I gently sucked on his earlobe, feeling him stiffen at my words.

"Now, love." His voice held a warning tone and I giggled, sitting back in my chair. "That's not fair and you know it."

"I don't care." I giggled, winking at him before facing the front of the classroom. I heard his growl slightly in frustration and I had to hold backa smirk. Just as he knew how to push my buttons, I knew exctly which of his to press. They weren't hard to figure out if you paid enough attention. Or, if you were me, at least.

"Class." The teacher called us, as we all lazily looked to the front of the classroom, not really caring what the teacher had to say. "Today we begin our annual student transfer programme with La Push High School." I rolled my eyes. This was something the two schools did every year. Why they bothered was beyond me. It seemed that everyone from the different schools knew each other anyway. So why bother. At least, why don't they do the exchange with some school that isn't so close. I don't know. "So I'd like you to welcome him to the class."

He stepped back and the large indian – as they all were down on the rez – stepped into the room. I looked over to see who it was, more importantly, to see if it was someone I knew, when I felt my anger rising as Edward placed a hand on my knee, trying to soothe me. It wasn't going to work this time. Why did he have to come here? He knew what would most likely happen if he did. And now he was standing there smirking at Edward and myself as though he'd won the lottery.

Jacob Black.

**EPOV**

School hadn't been nearly as stressful as I thought that it was going to be. Even though there were some who hadn't taken too kindly to Bella and my news of what happened over the summer, most of the students in the school left us alone. Nothing really mattered to them. Mostly they saw it as being someone else's life, so they should be able to do what they pleased.

There were a couple such as Mike Newton, Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory, who weren't too pleased that Bella and I were married. Jessica and Lauren had accosted Bella a couple of times, trying to get her to find some fault in our relationship, to doubt what I felt for her. Like that would ever happen.

The two of them had tried cornering me a couple of times, trying to make it look like we had been caught in a compromising situation, but that only proved to show me that the two of them had no idea how strong the bond that Bella and I shared was. Who cared what they thought?

I had had Mike Newton have a go at me a couple of times. He was always very forthright about how he didn't like that I was with Bella, that she could do better than me and frankly, it was what I had been hearing all bloody summer.

But it wouldn't have the repercussions here that it did over the summer. And here, I knew that nobody would take it seriously. I mean, who takes Mike Newton seriously?

Anyone?

You, maybe? No?

Didn't think so.

It was only when I was sat in History that I thought things could and most probably _would_ get worse for Bella and I around school.

When Jacob walked in the door after the teacher announced some Student Transfer thing that they did each year with La Push High. He just had to be the one chosen, didn't he? Hadn't he done enough over the the summer months? Obviously in his mind he hadn't, because he looked at Bella with a look of sadness and pleading on his face, obviously wanting her to talk to and forgive him – something I knew Bella would never do. Not until he proved himself – and shooting death glares at me.

Get over it, Jacob!

She loves me, not you!

He was seated just across from Bella and I and she slid her hand onto my knee, squeezing gently every so often. At one point during the class, when the teachers back was turned, she dared to go a little higher, giggling as I stiffened in my seat.

"Bella!" I hissed quietly to her as she silently giggled, trying to hide her mouth behind her hand. I gave her a look that told her she would pay for that. She knew that she would as well. Funnily, enough, she didn't seem to care. She stuck her tongue out at me and I chuckled silently at her, finding it nearly impossible to concentrate now.

As soon as the bell for the end of class went, Bella and I stood up, had cleared away our things and were out of the classroom faster than anyone else around us. We both wanted away from Jacob Black. And we were going to do that as quickly as possible.

We made our way to lunch, Bella giggling and laughing at the predicament she had caused in History. It had taken me the last fifteen minutes of the class thinking of Emmett and various other things. However disturbing it was, it worked. I now didn't have to worry about standing up at the end of class.

"That was incredibly cruel, Isabella Marie Cullen." I growled in her ear as we stood in the line to get some food.

"You know, I'm glad that we don't do Biology anymore." She whispered, giggling at me.

"Why's that" I asked her, slightly confused as the line shifted forward slightly.

"Because then we'd be sat in a classroom with Carlisle right after lunch." She smirked at me and I shook my head, trying to get rid of the imagery that was being called up at her words.

I had forgotten that Carlisle had been asked to carry out some demonstrations for Biology today. The teachers were all gushing about either how great a doctor he was, and that we were lucky to have him in the town (that was from the male staff) or how dreamy he was with his blonde hair and blue eyes, looks that Rosalie and Jasper had inherited from him. Those thoughts and opinions came from the female members of staff and I tried to block those out as much as I could.

We each grabbed a sandwich, a fruit bag and a bottle of water. Neither of us were too keen on the cafeteria food. Bella found that anything other than the sandwiches and fruit made her feel nauseous and me? Well, I might be getting back into the throes of my recovery, but I still had my limits. I was not going to touch cafeteria food.

Ever.

By the time Jasper, Alice and Rose appeared, Bella and I had already finished our lunches. This was always the way though. We always got to the cafeteria first and ate first. It had quickly become routine.

"Bella?" I heard a gruff voice behind us and every one of us stiffened at the sound. None of us had been paying attention to the world outside of our table so we weren't prepared for a new arrival.

We all turned to look at who it was standing there, although we already knew who it was without looking.

"Leave me alone, Jacob." She muttered, practically a growl. I placed my hand on her knee and she looked at me, a small smile on her face as she looked up at me. She really didn't want to do this and I was worried about the stress it would put on her and our unborn children.

"Bells, I just want to talk to you." He said, not paying attention to what she had said. There was no hint of remorse in his voice, or sorrow or anything that would give away any indication that he was in fact sorry for all the pain he had inflicted over the summer or not.

"I believe she told you to leave her alone." I growled through gritted teeth, turning my head so that he could see how pissed off I was.

"And I believe that I was talking to _her_ not you. So back off. She's not yours." He retaliated and I was surprised when Bella shot up out of her seat and turned to face him.

"Actually, Jacob, that's where you're wrong." She sneered, staring up and him, either not caring about or not noticing the difference in height. "You see these?" She held up her engagement and wedding band for him to see. "_These_ indicate that I do, in fact, belong to Edward, just as he belongs to me. Nothing you say or do is going to change that. So you, Jacob Black, can back off and stay the hell away from me."

I stood up, gently placing my hands on her shoulders, feeling her relax into me slightly. "Ssh, calm down." I whispered in her ear, gently placing a kiss on the back of her neck. "Calm down. You can't let yourself get too worked up."

"I know." She sighed, closing her eyes and resting her head against my shoulder. "I know I have to be careful. They're fine. I think they're getting a little excited because mommy's getting worked up."

"That's why you have to keep calm." I told her and she nodded, smiling slightly.

"You're pregnant?" Jacob hissed through his teeth and the two of us looked back at him, remembering he was still there. "What the fuck?!"

"Not that it has anything to do with you, but yes, I am." Bella hissed back, seeming to be as aware as I was that the whole cafeteria was watching our little exchange. Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now, huh?

Before I could register what was happening, all I knew was that there was a fist connecting with my face, a set of hands grabbing onto the front of my shirt and pulling me up before I had the chance to fall to the ground. There was a collective gasp from some of the people in the cafeteria, while Rose, Alice and Bella all screamed quietly at what was happening.

"You bastard." He growled, pushing me away from him slightly. I could feel a dull throbbing on the side of my face and I knew that it was going to come up with a nasty bruise later on today. I didn't care though. Who the hell did he think he was?

"What's the matter, Jacob?" I asked, cocking my head to the side slightly, not registering that there were people watching the entire commotion. "Don't like that you really have lost? Bella's not interested. Get over it."

"You really think I'm going to believe you?" He shoved me back and him being the size he was, I stumbled back slightly, away from him. What the hell was this guy on? There had to be something really wrong with him to still believe that Bella wanted him when she was married to me and pregnant with my children.

I was about to reply but was forced to stop as my breath caught in an all too familiar way. I felt that all too familiar pain in the left side of my chest flare, slowly spreading around to the back of my chest and down my left arm. My hearing and sight went fuzzy, fading in and out of coherency right in front of me as the strength left my limbs and I collapsed to the floor.

I heard muffled shouts of people calling my name and I vaguely registered someone kneeling down next to me, running gentle hands through my hair, sobbing.

This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not again. I couldn't be going through all this again. It was as if history was repeating itself, just with a few differences. I couldn't leave Bella. Not like this. Not while she was pregnant. With _my_ children. Who needed their dad. I couldn't. But as realisation dawned on me, I knew that I didn't have a say in the matter.

I knew what was happening to me.

And I knew that this time, I wouldn't survive it.

_**Don't hate me.**_


	58. Left Alone

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

_**Please don't hate me.**_

**BPOV**

For the first time in a long time, I was proud of myself. Not only had I been able to fend off the skanks that were looking to get their claws into my husband, but I had just seen off Jacob as well. Edward, had given me the reassurance I needed, but had in essence stayed out of the confrontation.

That was until Jacob overheard the two of us talking about the welfare of the twins, which I'll admit was a stupid thing to do. But that was at the very back of my mind right now.

Jacob had hit Edward, causing him to stumble back before Jacob grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him back to him and snarling something in his face. I knew that I had to do something, but Jacob had shoved me aside in his efforts to get to Edward and I'd hurt my ankle. I couldn't stand up on it.

But all that flew out the window as soon as I heard Edward gasp for breath. I looked up at him, and I felt my blood turn to ice in my veins as he fell to the floor. I knew that look. I had seen it once before and it was a look I never wanted to see again.

I didn't register anyone else around me as I slid off of the chair I was on and crawled my way to Edward, panicking, calling his name, hoping against hope that he would hear me and register that I was there. To come back to me.

I ran my fingers through his hair, hoping that he would recognise my touch. He seemed to stir slightly and I found myself unable to hold back the tears that were now streaming down my face and onto his jacket, leaving large wet splodges on his arm and chest.

"Edward, love." I leaned over as far as I could, what with my belly getting in the way. "Edward, can you hear me?" I thought for some way for him to let me know that he could hear me. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me, love." I took his hand in my own, thankful when I felt pressure on my fingers. He could hear me. He was going to be alright, wasn't he?

"Bella." I heard my name escape his lips softly and I leaned over, pressing a kiss to his temple.

"I'm here." I whispered, running my nose gently through his hair, savouring his scent.

"Can't …… feel…" He whispered and I let out a choked sob.

I sat up, looking over him and I gently rolled him over onto his back, wrapping my arms around him securly, lifting him up to my chest as I had done so many times in the past. He would be okay. He had to be okay. I couldn't live without him here. He was my life.

"Bella." I looked down at him, seeing that he had opened his eyes again and I smiled at the love I could see in them.

"Hang on, love." I whispered, leaning down so that only he could hear me. "Help's coming." I didn't know what was happening around me, but I had to assume that someone was smart enough to call for an ambulance. "You're going to be okay."

"No." It was incredibly faint, but I definitely heard it. He knew that he was going to die. That was something that I could accept. I would never accept it.

Never.

He was my Edward, and I needed him. I needed him here.

"Yes, Edward." I nodded, looking down at him, my tears dropping down onto his cheeks, making it look as though he was crying as well. He might have been, but my own eyes were too teary for me to be able to tell. "You're going to be okay. You have to be okay. I need you and …… and you're going to be a daddy. Your babies need their daddy."

He didn't reply with words, only looked up at me, his beautiful green orbs filled with despair and pain. I couldn't imagine how much pain he was in at the moment. He had to be okay. I felt the backs of his fingers gently caressing my cheek and I closed my eyes, leaning into his touch. He needed to know that he was going to be okay, that he was going to live a long, happy and healthy life. That I wasn't going to give up on him. So I did the one thing that I knew gave him hope. I kissed him gently, pouring all of my love and care into that one kiss.

When he didn't respond I knew that he was right. He was dying and there was nothing that we could do about it. I was losing the love of my life, my husband, the father to my children and I was powerless to stop it.

As I pressed my lips to his one last time, I felt him go limp in my arms as the hand that he had held to my face fell and hit the floor beneath us with a hollow thud.

I kept my lips pressed to his for a moment longer, wanting to delay the moment I knew had to come for as long as I possibly could. How was anyone supposed to deal with the deal of the other half of their soul. I didn't think it was possible. I opened my eyes to see his beautiful green eyes staring lifelessly back at me. It was such a strong contrast to only a few minutes ago. He had been laughing and teasing, musing over what we would be doing when we got home later and now…there was nothing in those eyes. They were empty. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I couldn't hold back the enormous cry of despair, longing and grief that escaped my throat at that moment in time.

I sat there, on the floor of the cafeteria, rocking the lifeless body of my love backwards and forwards, somehow wishing for the last few minutes to rewind and never happen. If only we had stayed in bed this morning like he wanted to. Or if we had gone to sit outside like we would have normally seeing as the weather was sunny. If only Jacob had left well enough alone. He now had what he wanted. He had Edward out of the way, and it only took killing him to do it.

It seemed like an eternity before someone approached me. I wanted to scream that them to get back. Not to touch me, but that meant that I would have to turn away from the body of my love, lying in my arms.

"Bella." It was Carlisle. Of course he was here. He was in the school today and someone had obviously called him down to the cafeteria. There was nothing that could keep him away. This was about his son, everything else could wait. He grasped my shoulder tightly, but not painfully as he looked upon his dead son, tears falling freely down his cheeks. I had never seen Carlisle like this before, but then again, its not every day that one of your children dies, is it? "Bella …… he's gone." He whispered and I could hear how much he didn't want to have to say those words, knowing he had to. He's gone."

"No," I squeaked, holding him ever tighter to me, looking at Carlisle, but unable to see him clearly through the my tears, and shaking my head in despair. "He can't be gone. He just can't be. It's not fair. He didn't deserve this. He deserved to live a long, happy, healthy life. After everything that he's been through. We......we just got him back!" I needed him here. I needed to know that he was okay. I needed to know that we were going to be a family. I needed him. His children needed him.

I was in hysterics now. I didn't care. I didn't care that I was sat on the floor of the cafeteria with practically the whole school watching my breakdown. I didn't care that people were staring at me. They could stare all they wanted, it made no difference to me. All I cared about was the boy in my arms. The one that I had shared dreams and hopes with. The dreams and hopes that had come so close within reach, that were growing inside my belly, and yet they were nowdreams that he would now never be able to fulfill.

All I wanted was the love of my life back.

I wanted Edward.

I wanted him to suddenly take a huge breath, blink his eyes and smile that crooked smile that I loved at me, stating that he couldn't hold his breath any longer. I wanted it to be a joke. I would have thought that it was the meanest joke in history, but I would just be happy that he was still here.

That was all I wanted.

But I knew that wasn't going to happen.

Stuff like that only happens in the movies and in novels. This was real life, and there are no miracles in real life. There are no second chances. You got what life threw at you and you dealt with it.

You didn't have a choice.

I remember Edward once telling me something. Something that makes a lot of, if not perfect sense to me now: Death is peaceful. Easy. Life is harder. He had no idea how true is words were to me right there and then, watching his life slip away from me, feeling it ebb from under my fingers and knowing damn well that there was nothing I could do to stop it. I couldn't save him. No one could.

I heard people around me sobbing and sniffing. I wanted to turn around and tell them all to fuck off. That none of them other than his family had any right, or were allowed to mourn him. They had all been so cruel to him. All because of some stupid rumours that people had made up out of jealousy and cruelty. I had no doubts as to who were behind them. They shouldn't be allowed to mourn and grieve for him. This perfect creature in my arms. The one who had been through so many hardships in his short life, overcome them and still come out stronger. It didn't seem right for them to mourn him. It was all out of place.

Looking at him as my how tears spilled down onto his lifeless face, I looked into those beautiful eyes that had left me breathless and weak at the knees so many times before. I found nothing. Nothing of my love remained there.

We thought that we had beaten it. That everything was okay. All those months in therapy, that time at the clinic, all those tears that had been shed, and the months apart. The teenage years that he had lost, that we had thought we could attempt to get back. All that was for nothing. We thought that we were stronger than that.

We were wrong.

In the end the strain of everything that had happened over the last few months, well over the last few years had taken its toll on his body and heart. He couldn't take the strain and stress of life. He hadn't been strong enough like we had hoped, like we had thought he was.

The illness had won.

____________________________________________________________________________

Time stood still.

I didn't know how to cope.

He was gone.

That was all I registered.

He was no longer here, yet I could smell his sweet scent on the pillows that he had used. It intoxicated me everytime I stepped into the closet or sat inside the Volvo. It would be gone soon, so I had to drink in every moment I could.

All I knew was the walls of my room.

The scent of him on the pillows.

The feel of my babies kicking inside me.

And the sound of the song on the stereo system.

_I'm so tired of being here._

_Suppressed by all my childish fears._

_And if you have to leave._

_I wish that you would just leave._

'_Cause your presence still lingers here._

_And it won't leave me alone._

_These wounds won't seem to heal._

_This pain is just too real._

_There's just too much that time cannot erase._

_When you cried I'd wipe away your tears,_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears,_

_I held your hand through all of these years,_

_But you still have all of me._

_You used to captivate me by your resonating light,_

_Now I'm bound by the life you left behind._

_Your face it haunts,_

_My once pleasant dreams._

_Your voice it chased away,_

_All the sanity in me._

_These wounds won't seem to heal,_

_This pain is just too real,_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase._

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears,_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears._

_I held your hand through all of these years,_

_But you still have all of me._

_I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone,_

_But though you're still with me,_

_I've been alone all along._

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears,_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears._

_I held your hand through all of these years,_

_But you still have all of me._

In life, it had suited Edward perfectly, symbolising his struggles to release his pain and grief.

Now, in death, it had become my personal anthem.

All I had to live for was the two tiny little lives growing inside my belly.

I had nothing else.

_**Don't hate me! Please!**_


	59. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

_**Epilogue**_

_**December 14**__**th**__** 2024**_

I sighed as I looked at the engagement and wedding bands that had adorned my finger on my left hand for the last fifteen and a half years. My heart ached when I even considered that it had been that long.

It really couldn't have been.

But it had.

Today was exactly fifteen years after that fateful day in the cafeteria, where I had mourned, sobbed and eventually been sedated and carried out after the loss of my soulmate.

There had been a hole in my heart ever since that day.

Nothing could fill it, and nothing ever would.

Not even the two beautiful children that I had given birth to the following April could fill the void left by their father. They didn't know what had killed their father. They had been told that he was sick for a long time and it became too much one day. I knew that the day would come when we would have to tell them the truth, but I couldn't bear to revisit that place. Not yet and especially not today.

"Mom." A soft voice called from my doorway.

I turned around to find my beautiful daughter, Tuesday, standing there watching me with a small smile.

"Hey, baby." I said softly and she walked over to me, wrapping her tiny arms around me gently.

"Are you okay?" She asked, pulling back from me slightly and looking up at me with her beautiful green eyes. Her father eyes.

"Hey." We both looked up to see my son, Tuesday's brother, Edward Jr. – we called him E.J. Using the name Edward hurt everybody, but I wanted his namesake to be passed down, just as I had insisted it would - standing in the doorway watching the two of us with a sad look on his face. I held out my arm, motioning for him to come in and to me and he did quickly.

We stood there for a few minutes, just … being with each other. We eventually broke apart and the three of us sat on the bed, the twins on either side of me. I looked between the two of them.

They were both so gorgeous, the epitome of their father, they had both inherited his beautiful bronze hair, matching it's shade perfectly. They both had his startling green eyes and strong jawlines and lips, but they had my cheekbones, nose and their eyes were shaped in the same way as mine.

They were both so gorgeous.

"What is it, Mom?" E.J asked me, looking into my eyes just as his father used to do. "What?"

"You're both so beautiful." I sighed, running my fingers through their hair simultaneously. They both leaned into my touch as E.J. slowly slid off of the bed and rested his head in my lap as he had done when he was little.

"I don't think E.J. likes being called 'beautiful', Mom." Tuesday smirked at him, earning a glare from her brother.

"I don't care." I whispered, looking between my two beautiful children. "You father used to hate it as well, but I didn't care. He was beautiful and the two of you look just like him."

I looked over to the dresser that stood in my room, next to the door. On it was the picture of Edward and I at the clinic. It was taken when he was happy and that was the way I wanted the twins to see him. I didn't want them to know about how utterly depressed and hopeless he felt at various stages in his life. They knew bits and pieces, but until I thought that they were ready, they wouldn't know.

The Cullens' weren't going to tell either. It wasn't something that was spoken about really. Edward was talked about whenever anyone thought about him, but his illness and what killed him was never mentioned.

I looked at my children and saw the sad looks on their faces. I knew that they longed for an opportunity to meet their father, to know what the man that gave them life was like, but it was an impossibility. The closest they could get were photographs, stories and visitng him, as we did once a year.

I had visited him every year since he had …… well, you get the idea.

I never planned to miss a year.

"Come on." I sniffed and E.J. moved his head off of my lap, standing slowly and pulling his sister up, wrapping his arms around her. I had seen the gesture made many times by the Cullens' and I knew that even though they may bicker a lot of … well, most of the time … they loved each other dearly and having E.J. near was a huge source of comfort for Tuesday. Especially seeing as her daddy wasn't here to protect her.

We walked out of the house that I owned, locking the door behind me, we made our way down to the Volvo parked in the driveway.

Ever since Edward, I had had an affinity for Volvos. I found them to be safe and comfortable, yet zippy and quick at the same time. Or at least the Volvos that I had gone for anyway. Maybe that was why Edward had loved them so much.

I climbed into the drivers' seat, while the twins climbed into the back, still holding onto one another. I knew that some part of them didn't want to do this, but another part saw this as one of the two days to see their father as a family – the other being June twentieth, Edward's birthday. They came to see him all the time and I found it incredible how that even though he wasn't here anymore, he was still such a great source of strength for his children. The looked to him as a guide for advice, going to him when they felt upset or alone as much as they did me.

I went to see him as often as I could. It wasn't the same as being with him but it was as close as I could get.

I drove down the winding streets to the cemetery, parking in the church car park. It didn't take me very long to learn the streets and roads of Chicago. I travelled the same ones pretty much every day.

We had all thought that it wasn't right for Edward to be buried in Forks, but in Chicago with his parents. It was where he would have wanted to be. After the service, Esme and Carlisle had somehow known that I wouldn't want to be away from Edward even though we were now separated by that veil that separated the worlds of the living and the dead. They had walked up to me and handed me a set of keys, telling me that the house they used to live in in Chicago was now mine to live in.

I couldn't believe what they were giving me. It meant that I didn't have to be away from Edward and I could transfer to the school nearby. It only dawned on me after I started, and people started asking about my last name did it click that I was at the school the Cullens used to go to.

I didn't know how I would survive being on my own, but only a week or so after I had started at the school, I got a surprise in the form of Alice and Rosalie appearing on my doorstep. Their parents had allowed them to move out to Illinois with me and finish up their school year here. I owed Carlisle and Esme so much.

Rose and Alice had been a godsend when people at the new school learned about my pregnancy. Unlike in Forks though, when they learned that something wasn't as it seemed, they generally left well enough alone.

The twins came along in that spring and if I hadn't had Alice and Rosalie there, I don't know what I would have done. I think I would have broken down and curled up in a ball, crying my eyes out and pulling out my hair. I was still coming to terms with losing Edward – hell, it was fifteen years later and I was _still_ coming to terms with losing Edward – and I had two babies to look after. I would never have been able to cope on my own.

I got out of the car slowly, waiting for Tuesday and E.J. to climb out so I could lock it, before making my way up the familiar route through the graves. Tuesday was holding a large bouquet of flowers and E.J. had an envelope in his hand. He always wrote Edward a letter about what had happened in the year, burying it slightly underneath the soil so that it wouldn't blow away with the next wind. When he was younger, he had been convinced that if he buried it, his daddy could reach up and take it, reading it when they left. It was a sweet sentiment and something told me that he wanted to cling to that belief, that maybe, somehow his father wasn't truly gone.

We stopped in front of the familiar white marble headstone and Tuesday let out a small sob. Even though the two of them had never met their father, they missed him terribly. They wanted to know what it was like to have their father there with them. E.J. wanted to know what it was like to play ball with his dad in the park, to have someone to go to when he had a problem with a girl – which I should be expecting more and more of lately, because he is as gorgeous as his father, and just as humble. He hated it when someone brought his looks to attention, cringing and shrinking away from the offender. Tuesday wanted to know what it was like to have her daddy there to protect her, to sit on his shoulders like all the other little girls did. I think some part of her was even upset that she wouldn't have him threaten to shoot any possible suitors as I knew Edward probably would have done.

He was protective of me, so I could only imagine what he would have been like as a father.

I looked up at the gleaming marble that marked the resting place of my husband, tears welling in my eyes.

_Here lies_

_Edward Anthony Masen Cullen_

_20__th__ June 1991 – 14__th__ December 2009_

_Died aged 18._

_Beloved husband._

_Devoted son._

_Best brother in the world._

_Through his struggles in life, he came upon the biggest treasure of all._

_Love._

"Hey, Daddy." Tuesday said softly, kneeling down and placing the bundle of flowers in front of the headstone. "I really wish you were here Daddy. I know ……" I knelt down beside my daughter who was sobbing gently, trying to say what she could to her father. "I know I never met you, but I feel like I really know you. I just …… I just wish that you could be here. I …… I need you Daddy. And so does Mom, and E.J. We need you."

I wrapped my arms around my sobbing daughter, and looked up at E.J. seeing silent tears running down his face. I took his hand and noticed that he had more than just the letter with him today. He had brought his personal CD player with him.

He knelt down next to where his sister and I were sitting, placing the CD player on the ground and sighing gently. He gently moved the flowers and scraped away a layer of soil, placing the letter in the small hole that he had created and covering it over again, trying to halt his tears as he did so. He wasn't able to and I took his hand in mine.

"Hey, Dad." He sniffed, sitting back on the ground, still holding my hand. "I need your advice Dad, but it's not really something Mom wants to hear, so I'll ask you when I come and see you in a few days." I smiled at him gently and he let out a small sob like laugh. "But…… I did bring something." He reached around and picked up his CD player, placing it in his lap. "I … um … Aunt Alice told me that you used to play, and that's where I get my talent from. She said that you were always at the piano, doodling and drumming things out, not really paying attention to where your fingers fell, but still creating beautiful sounds all the same. Aunt Alice and Aunt Rose say that I have the same ability." He looked over at me, and I nodded. E.J., like his father was incredibly talented on the piano. "So, um, I …… I wrote something." He looked at me sheepishly, his cheeks colouring slightly. A trait that the twins had both picked up from me.

He pressed play and the sound of gentle strings flowed through the air, gently making way for an exquisite piano piece.

We sat in silence, listening to it as the beautiful music filled the air. I still had E.J's hand and he was turning a deeper red with every moment that passed and every note that flowed out of the CD player.

When the piece finished, we sat there in silence, listening only to the sounds of the wind running through the leaves, the footsteps of others visiting family members, the cars running on the roads just below us.

"E.J." I breathed through my tears. "That was beautiful."

"You think so?" He asked with a vulnerability that I had seen in Edward's eyes one too many times.

"Absolutely." I smiled widely at him, letting go of his hand and wrapping an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close to me. He sighed and rested his head on my shoulder and I could feel his tears gently making the shoulder of my jacket damp.

"What's it called?" Tuesday asked quietly, looking at her brother.

"Umm……" He looked down at the ground sheepishly. "It's called EdwardxBella." He admitted in a small voice and I felt myself melt. My son had written a piece of music after the two of us. "Every time someone would mention how you and Dad were together, it would just start playing inside my head, so I started playing it and writing it down and that's what it sounded like."

"It's beautiful, E.J." I kissed his forehead gently, running my fingers through his unruly hair, just like his fathers was.

We sat there for a little while longer, not really registering the freezing cold weather and the hardness of the ground beneath us, just needing to be near Edward. To be a family for a while.

The two of them looked at me, kissing me on the cheek, understanding that I needed to be alone with their father for a few minutes. They walked hand in hand out to the gate of the cemetery, slowly making their way towards the car.

"Edward." I whispered, closing my eyes and feeling my tears against my cheek as a bitter wind blew through the cemetery. "I still miss you, so much. I can't believe after everything that happened, everything that we went though together, that was all for nothing. If things hadn't gone the way they had, who knows where we could be now.

"E.J. and Tuesday need you more than anyone can say. More than I think even they can say. What with E.J. being a teenager now, he …… well, lets just say, there's only so much that Jasper and Emmett can do. I just wish that I still had you to hold me close at night, to hum me to sleep when I needed it, to reassure me that everything is going to be okay, to be there when I needed you there, to make love to me like you used to." I pressed a kiss to my fingertips, pressing them to the ground gently, tears running down my cheek. "Take care of my heart, I've left it with you."

I slowly stood up, bidding another farewell to the one and only love of my life, I turned back to the children he had given me. The ones who depended on me.

**E.**

As I walked with my arm around my sister towards the gate of the cemetery, a cold brisk breeze hit us from behind. Some part of me, the part that still had to grow up maybe, wanted to believe that it was my father, giving me his approval of the song that I had written for him and mom.

I looked back over the cemetery to see my mother sitting, leaning over, almost doubled over, shaking slightly. I knew that she was crying and I wanted nothing more than to run over there and protect her, to take care of her like I promised my dad I would every time I visited him.

Tuesday looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears as she broke away from me, walking towards the car.

I walked over to the steps of the church and sat down running my hands through my unruly bronze hair. My mom always told me that my dad used to do that all the time. That his hair was even harder than mine to control and having looked at some of the pictures that were dotted around the house, I didn't argue.

"Are you okay, son?" A soft voice called from the top of the stairs. I swivelled on the step I was sitting on, vaguely aware that my ass was going numb and saw a priest standing at the top of the stairs. He was old, looking as though he should have retired about a decade ago but there was something about him that told me he was easy to talk to. Even if he wasn't, my mother was just over the way and my sister was standing a little way away so I wasn't too worried.

"I'm okay, thank you." I nodded, looking up at him as he walked down the steps and sat down next to me.

"You know," he looked at me, seeming to study me for a little while before smiling and chuckling slightly. "You look mighty like a young man sat in that exact spot a long time ago."

"I do?" I asked, confused. Who could he have met?

"You do." He looked at me again. "He came visiting his parents. Poor boy." He shook his head sadly. "It had been ten years since he had been able to work up the courage to see them."

"Do you know why it took him so long?" I asked, genuinely curious as Tuesday noticed that I was talking to the priest and started to make her way over to the two of us.

"He told me …… he told me that he was afraid." He sighed, shaking his head again. "He was afraid because he thought that some decisions he'd made in his life would make them disappointed in him."

"I feel like that sometimes." Tuesday mumbled slightly, sitting down on the step at my feet. "I feel that sometimes, the things I do … will disappoint dad and that he'll be angry with me or something."

"Is that who you visit here?" The priest asked, looking at us sadly. "Your father?" We both nodded slowly, looking down at the steps. "I am sorry."

"Was he okay?" I asked, wanting to know about the man the priest had spoken to. "The man you spoke to. Was he okay?"

"I think he was." He nodded. "In time." He looked at the two of us again. "He had found that special someone to help guide him through. She made everything that he did worthwhile. He told me about her. Told me that she'd saved him, both physically and mentally. He truly loved her."

"She must have been one hell of a woman." Tuesday smiled slightly. "I wonder if mom was like that for dad." She turned to face the priest again. "Our dad was sick for a long time."

"So was this young man." He looked between us, staring over his glasses. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him. Is that when someone you love dies, you don't forget them. You make a special place for them in your heart. Something tells that that's what he did. And I'm hoping that he was able to move on."

"E.J! Tuesday!" We heard our mom calling us and we looked down at her.

"We've got to go." I said softly as we got up. We helped the priest up or he would have been stuck there all day.

"How come you were talking to him?" Tuesday asked in a whisper as the priest made his way up the steps slowly.

"You know that man we were talking about?" She nodded. "He said that I looked like him. Like I reminded him of him."

"What was his name?" She asked, looking between me and the priest. "The man, I mean?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Wait a second. Excuse me!" I called running up the steps and catching up to the priest. "If you don't mind, what was the man called? The one you spoke to all those years ago?"

"Unusual name. Not one you hear very often, even back then." He murmured, smiling at me.

I waited for a moment. "What was it?" I asked in the politest tone I could, trying not to appear pushy.

"Edward."

I froze and saw Tuesday do the same thing. She had heard him say it as well.

It couldn't be, could it?

Could that man the priest had spoken to all those years ago, been my father? We knew that our father came from Chicago. Could it be him?

Maybe, someday, I would know for sure.

My father might not be here in body, but I know that his spirit will always be here for me, my sister, my aunts and uncles and their children and most of all he would be there for my mother. It was clear how much she still loved him, from what I knew, there had been no one before or after him. She said that she didn't need anyone else, because he was here and she had Tuesday and myself. I knew that in that, I could and I would make her proud. I would do my father's memory justice and maybe, just maybe, that through me and my achievements Edward Anthony Masen Cullen could one day be alive again.

_**End**_

_**I know that some of you … well, make that most of you are pissed at the ending of the story and aren't withholding on your opinions on that fact. I'm not a huge believer in HEAs because life doesn't work that way, and even though this is only fiction, it has to be somewhat believeable.**_

_**A couple of you were expressing concerns about how no one administered CPR, or more importantly, why Carlisle didn't administer CPR. The answer is simple. The fact that they didn't get there in time for CPR to be considered effective. I know that you'll all have an opinion about this, but it's my story so there.**_

_**I do have an alternate ending written out, but I'm going to say this now, it's not the whole fluff and bunnies that some of you are expecting. You know the whole Bella wakes up from a nightmare and Edward's there with her storyline. Not happening. It is a happy ending but not in the way you're all thinking. Just letting you know that now.**_

_**Let me know what you think.**_

_**Also, I'm going to be posting the opening chapters to Protecting Him's sequel soon. They're already written out, so put me on Author Alerts if you want to know what's happening in the alternate world of twilight I've created.**_

_**Until I update next – see ya!**_

_**twiXlite**_


	60. Alternate Ending

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

_**I don't know how I'm going to write this AN without coming across as the worlds biggest bitch, but I'm going to try so here goes.**_

_**I know that some of you – well, most of you – aren't happy about the last two chapters, but some of the comments left in the reviews were extremely hurtful.**_

_**Saving Edward and Alive Again are my babies, and I wrote them as I felt they needed to be written. And if that means that Edward dies at the end, that's whats going to happen.**_

_**I know a lot of you wanted an HEA, but being realistic, do you really think that after everything they've been through, with his relapse at the forefront, weakening his already weak heart even more, that they were going to have an HEA? If I had turned this story into an HEA ending then it would have turned into the same ending as the however many other happy endings there are on FF. If you want a happy ending, then go read one of those.**_

_**Even considering putting in an HEA made me feel as though I wasn't being true to the story, and that was what I was striving to achieve. I wanted this story to be believable as far as the emotions and pain that it's characters feel goes. In my head, Edward died, so that is the way it was written. I know that pissed a lot of people off, but that's the way it is.**_

_**Nobody can say that there wasn't the warning of Edward dying at all in the story, because there are enough reviews for the Prologue that prove otherwise and the fact that I never confirmed nor disproved the idea that the Prologue was in fact Edward's death scene should have told you that Edward dying was a distinct possibility.**_

_**Some of the reviews left by people – anonymous reviews as well – were really spiteful and hurtful. I know I write these stories for you guys, but that doesn't give you permission to insult me and throw it back in my face when something doesn't turn out the way you want it to. Writing these stories has taken up a lot of my time and sent me on an emotional rollercoaster that was hard to deal with. Being called thick or stupid and being told to use the 'thing in my head (Brain) before I write another story' is not something I really need to hear.**_

_**I do have some personal messages for some of the anonymous reviewers.**_

_**Laura:**_ you killed your own story.  
what was the point of this? oh, well bella learnt that edward will always love her balh blah . WTF?!?!?!?

thanks for perpetuating a stereotype.

i can't believe i followed this story for so long just for that **.

_**The point of the story was to travel the journey with Edward and Bella. The story was not about what happened to Edward before the story happened or what happened in the ending, it was about how they both dealt with the different troubles and hardships, enjoying the good and working through the bad. If you weren't able to see that, then the story didn't have the effect I was aiming for.**_

_**Han:**_ YOu are truly twisted mean and disturbed! i cant believe that you had to be so cruel with something fiction. Why did you have to kill off edward. you may get a lot of reviews but all of your stories are just down right depressioning and evil or sad in someway. Geez brighten up why dont cha?! Your nothing like bella in the aspect with this stuff. I mean its really soul destroying. Thank god i didnt get to into this mess and read it all the way through. Geez you killed him off wow. And why do you have to be so rude about it and talk like we're all morons looking for fluff fluff and more fluff. its freakin fiction just like twilight. i dont see any vamps running around in real life but i think you shoud try writing more joyous pieces all your writiing is like that how screwed up is your life? even all the ideas you have how the hell did you get through twilight?! its nothing like this mess you write geez. You were being a real...no insults but just wow! good for you though it was pretty creative i guess its just wow. the things that comes from peoples mind is amazing and sad!

_**Your review really confused me. In the beginning of it you talked about how I was cruel and twisted and in the last few sentences you said that it was creative and wow. Where are you coming from. As a matter of fact, I have read Twilight. More times than I can count and people insinuating that I haven't hurts.**_

_**Your review hurt a lot. You might think that I'm a bitch for saying this, but you didn't have to write a review just to insult me. If you think it is a depressing, evil, sad, soul-destroying mess then why even bother to read it? People read my stories because they choose to, it's not like I force them to. If they don't like it, fine, they don't have to continue reading it, but I do not write these stories purely to be insulted. No offense, but you should really take notice of the little saying 'if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all' and think about someone else's feelings before you type a nasty review. If you find my stories that depressing to read, then don't read them.**_

_**Laurnana: **_People dont read fiction stories to read about real life. This story was amazing untill the moment you killed Edward. If you were gonna do that, you should have put it in the Angst category, this way if we WANTED to read about him dying, we would, but if we DIDNT we wouldnt read an angst labeled story. Seriosuly, next time, use that thing in your head (Brain) when writing a story.

P.s sorry about my spelling, english isnt my first language

_**I know people don't read fiction stories to read about real life, but that was one of the points of this story. The subjects broached in these stories have not been (to the best of my knowledge) done before and they are very misinterpreted and misunderstood. That's what I wanted to get through in these stories. Read some of my other ones, you'll notice that they're not as emotional as these two were. As for Edward's death, the prologue should have been enough of an inidicator that it was a possibility. As I said, I have never, throughout the whole story confirmed or disproved the prologue as being true. People just assumed it was a nightmare. As for insulting my intelligence, I do take great offense to that. When writing these stories I used my head and my heart and the 112 chapters that have been written were the product of tapping into my emotions and my love of story-writing.**_

_**It doesn't matter that english isn't your first language, you should still think about what you're saying and how it will affect the person it's directed at before you write it.**_

_**I know that I'm sounding mega-bitch in this AN but the comments left by some of the readers really cut deep. They hurt. Each review I opened was telling me the same thing and even though there are an enormous amount of you that felt that even though they didn't like the ending, it was necessary. The nastier reviews left me feeling like I didn't want to write anymore. Thinking 'what's the point if this is what I get when something people don't like happens'?**_

_**And I've never been pushed to consider giving up writing before, so that's how bad they made me feel.**_

_**If I offended anyone with this AN then I'm sorry, but I felt it had to be said. I don't write to be insulted. I write so that people can read and (hopefully) enjoy my stories.**_

_**So, like I said before, if you can't say anything nice, please don't say anything at all.**_

_**Alternate End**_

**BPOV**

My eyes flew open and I shot up in bed, trying to get a handle on what happened. I was so focused on what had happened in my mind that it took me a moment to realise that I was in my old bedroom.

_What am I doing here?_ I thought, easing my way out of bed.

I looked at the clock as saw that it was a little after three in the morning. But that wasn't what caught me off guard or made my jaw drop. But it was the date.

_04.09.08_

It was the beginning of September 2008?

What. The. Hell?!

I shook my head and looked back at the clock, still disbelieving when I saw that the date hadn't mysteriously changed.

I put a hand over my stomach, disappointed when I felt that it was flat and looked at my left hand, my heart falling when I saw that there was nothing there.

What the hell happened?

What the hell was all that about?

I grabbed my phone, plugging in the number that I had memorised, although nothing was adding up at the moment, and held it to my ear, sighing in relief when it started ringing.

"_Hello_?" A groggy voice came through the receiver, though I could barely hear them through interference on the line.

"Edward?" I asked into the phone, hoping that it was him. I couldn't tell.

"_Who's this_?" The person on the other end asked, still thick with sleep and slightly muffled.

"Bella."

"_Bella who_?" They asked and my heart plummeted fifty foot below the surface of the earth.

"Sorry." I mumbled, feeling extremely dejected. "I must have the wrong number."

I swiftly hung up the phone, wondering what the hell was going on. Had I been transported back in time or something, back to the day I first met Edward? Call me weird, I remember the day I met him.

I heard Charlie moving around in his bedroom, realising that he must have a dawn shift today. I walked out of my room, hoping to meet him on the landing. The look on his face would have been amusing if I hadn't been stressing at the moment.

"Ch-Dad." I said to him softly, watching him stop and turn slowly as if in complete shock. Seeing as I am most definitely not a morning person, this most probably was a shock to him. "What date is it today?" I asked, hoping to seem nonchalant.

"It's the fourth." He told me calmly, eyeing me suspiciously.

"I meant the _whole_ date. Year and everything." I asked, pleading with my eyes for him not to ask questions. Just to go with it."

"Fourth of September two-thousand and eight." He said, his tone giving away his confusion but his expression telling me that he wasn't going to risk further confusion by asking me what was going on with me.

"Thanks." I nodded, and backed into my room, heading Charlie grunt something I couldn't hear.

I closed the door and sank down onto the floor, resting my forehead on my knees, my mind moving a million miles a minute.

What the hell did all of this mean?

Did everything that happened not really happen?

I couldn't work this out. It was too much.

My head shot up off of my knees as I thought of something that could prove or disprove what I thought I knew. I quickly showered and got dressed, seeing that I had been sitting on the floor for over an hour an a half, noting that it was now around twenty to six in the morning.

I grabbed my keys from the hook by the door, another thing that confused me and jumped in my truck, thankful that Charlie's cruiser had disappeared. I didn't want to have to face his questions later on.

I drove the truck as fast as it would go down the road, which was only a measly fifty miles an hour before it sputtered and died.

I took the route I knew so well, turning off at the point I'd half expected not to be there, sighing in relief when I slowly made my way up the long driveway, hoping that I didn't wake anyone who may or may not be inside. I just wanted to know what the fuck was going on.

I stopped at the corner I knew would bring the house into view. I didn't want to run the risk of someone seeing my truck and then tracing it back to me. Especially if everything that I believed wasn't true.

_Charlie said that it was 2008. How is that possible? Is it possible that I dreamed everything? No. My imagination isn't that vivid. Is it?_

I climbed out of the truck, slowly walking around the corner. My breath hitched when I saw the cars all lined up as they had been each and every time I had seen them. _Or had I seen them?_ I wasn't so sure anymore. Especially when my eyes landed on the large white removal truck parked slightly off to the side. Someone was moving in.

Could it be?

I wondered, knowing that I was working myself into a frenzy.

I looked up at the window that _I_ knew to house a perfect Greek Adonis. The Volvo S60R that he drove was sitting in the driveway, same numberplate and everything.

What did all of this mean?

I looked back up at the house, seeing someone moving in the window, checking that I was hidden by the large amount of vegetation that surrounded the house. I could see a figure in the top window looking out in the direction that I was in. I knew that I needed to get out of here now. Whoever it was inside, they would probably think that I was some kind of stalker.

I looked at the clock on my dashboard, one of the only things in the truck that functioned without a problem. Another reminder that everything I knew might not be real was the fact that there was no new stereo in the truck. Emmett and Jasper had replaced the old beat up stereo that I had in there when I refused to allow them to buy me a new car for my eighteenth birthday. Even though Edward had been against it, I was attached to and would still drive my truck.

_Edward_.

My heart clenched thinking his name. If nothing over the last year had happened, where was he? Was he in Chicago? Was he somewhere else? Did he even exist?

I didn't want to think about the possibility of the last question at all. I couldn't even contemplate a world without Edward in it, but I had been subjected to that feeling when I had held his still warm body in my arms as he died in the cafeteria. I shook my head. _You don't even know if that happened._

What the hell was wrong with me?

I glanced at the clock again, seeing that it was twenty past eight, and I decided to head into school. I would be early, but who cared. It wouldn't be that long but it would be earlier than normal. I don't know what I was going to do, but I needed something to get my mind off what I thought I did and didn't know.

I sighed, looking down at my left hand again, feeling my heart drop a little more when I saw that it was still empty. It just served to remind me that everything must have been in my head. Something I didn't really want to contemplate. What if the Cullens' didn't exist.

_The Cullen's_!! I thought quickly, grabbing the material of my right sleeve and wrenching it up. Not the best thing to do when driving, but hell, I was looking for an explanation here. It didn't look like I was getting one.

I pulled up in the parking lot, only to be accosted by Jessica, who bounded up to me, giggling insanely, jumping up and down next to me as I walked into the school.

"They're coming today." She giggled insanely.

"Who?" I asked, curiously raising an eyebrow.

"Seriously, Bella." She scoffed, rolling her eyes at me. "Do you not pay any attention to what goes on around here? The new kids."

Maybe there would be something to ease my discomfort about what was going on inside my head. I refused to believe that everything that had happened was in my head. All the signs that it was purely one long, blissful, angsty, screwed-up dream were there but there was _something_ telling me that that wasn't it. What the hell was going on with me?

"There's five of them." _That sounds right for what I need right now. I need to see some evidence that I'm not crazy. "_I heard that they're all adopted." She giggled. _That was wrong. The only one who was adopted was Edward. Because of his parents._ "And get this, I hear that they're all _together_." Something definitely not right there. "How weird is that? I hear that the one whose single is a guy, so you never know." She looked at me, winking suggestively. Trust Jess to have a go at the new meat.

We separated when we had to for homeroom. I couldn't get Jess's words out of my head. They were _all _adopted? There goes my wish for maybe getting some answers about the fucked up things that are going on with me today. Did I really think that anyone would be able to help me?

I sat, bored in all of my classes until lunch. I hadn't seen any of the new kids. It didn't seem like I had any of them in my classes. I was disappointed by that fact. If I had at least one of them in my class them I would know what the hell was going on. Was this just a repeat of a year ago? Or at least, a year ago in my head, seeing as it was now becoming extremely clear that things actually _were_ a year ago.

I walked into the cafeteria, looking over at the table that had housed the Cullens' – in my head at least – but I found it empty. Maybe they just hadn't gotten here yet. Plausible, right? I mean, they are new here. They might have gotten lost.

_Pfft!_ The logical side of my brain scoffed at me. _This school is miniscule! Even _you_ found your way around on your first day._

_Shut up!_

_Don't blame me. It's your subconscious._ I internally winced at the mini argument I was having with myself in my head. My eyes kept flicking towards the door of the cafeteria and the empty table every few seconds. If anyone noticed that I was acting weird, they didn't say anything about it.

Hell, I knew that I was being weird, but I think that they were used to this from me by now, so they didn't really notice anything different. _Not something you should be proud of._

_Piss off!_

_Again, it's your brain._

I sighed, going back to my lunch, barely registering the voices and drones of the others at my table. I knew what they were talking about. Apparently, the single one of the new kids was 'absolutely gorgeous and completley fuckable'. Jess's words, not mine. But then again, if it was the person I hoped it was then I was inclined to agree.

Something told me that I couldn't give up on the fact that what had happened inside my head – or as it seemed to be – were more than just that. That there was more behind it. Like it was trying to tell me something.

But what?

"Hey, Bells." I internally groaned, when I heard Mike Newton following me as I made my way from the cafeteria towards my Biology class, which in turn, Mike was in too.

"You okay?" He asked, concern in his baby blue eyes. "You seemed a little spaced at lunch."

"Yeah." I nodded, giving him a half smile, not meeting his eyes. Truth was, I was freaking. Had been all day. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"You wanna talk about it?" _And what? Have you call the nice men in white coats. I think not!_

I shook my head, sending him a warm smile. "I'm okay, thanks, Mike. Something I gotta work out on my own."

"Alright." He shrugged as we walked into Biology. "You need to talk or anything…" He trailed off, leaving the invitation open.

"Thanks, Mike." I was thankful that he hadn't tried asking me out, as he had done on numerous occasions.

I took my seat at my lab table and sat down, pulling out my notebook, doodling until the teacher started.

I registered someone saying my name and I realised that I must have one of the new kids in my class because I suddenly registered that Mr. Banner had said "There's a spare seat over by Miss Swan."

I heard the stool next to me scrape back and I took a deep breath, laying down my pen and preparing to say something to the person sat next to me. When I had done this last, I had made an idiot out of myself. Although, it _did_ get me a husband and two children on the way. Not thinking about that 'dream' (as I refused to believe that there wasn't something behind it) made me long for the life I'd had in it. Before the whole cafeteria incident anyway.

I froze as I inhaled the persons' scent by accident. A mixture of honey and lavender. An all too familiar scent.

I looked up slowly, finding myself coming face to face with the most beautiful pair of green orbs I had ever seen. The same ones that my 'dream' self had been staring into for over a year. But these weren't filled with pain and sorrrow. They were bright and piercing, although filled with confusion and disbelief. Why should _he_ been confused. I'm the one that had a dream about being married to him and having his babies.

_Note to self: never mention that._

My eyes scowered his face slowly, taking in every detail, every freckle, even the tiny scar that he had just above his left eyebrow from when Emmett hit him in the face with one of Alice's dolls when they were little.

It was him.

He was here.

He was real.

But did he know me, as I knew him. I couldn't help what slipped out of my mouth when my brain finally started working again. His face took on a slightly disbelieving look as he heard the whisper.

"_Edward."_

**EPOV**

This place actually existed, didn't it?

Forks, Washington USA.

And it looked exactly the same as it had in my 'dream'.

Fuck! What a dream that was.

It was a dream that I wouldn't trade in for all the wet dreams every teenage boy in the world could have.

Apart from the fact that I was completely fucked up in it. I'd been a cutter and anorexic. Not something I could identify with in my real life, but something about those feelings and thoughts that I'd had in the 'dream' – something inside told me that there was more to it than that – allowed me to gain maybe a tiny little bit of insight into what people like that go through.

But, fuck! The 'dream' had taken over a year time span.

And the girl!

The girl was incredible.

Bella.

It had felt like I was alone, surrounded by people and yet completely alone, but she had worked her way in. And it had grown from friendship into love. With marriage and babies no less.

Something inside of me, told me that that was what I wanted. I wanted the love and the house and the wedding and the marriage and ……… the meadow. I liked the meadow.

We'd arrived in Forks yesterday, after near enough four days of straight driving. I had been so tired yesterday that Jasper, my brother had offered to sling his motorbike, that he had been riding, in the back of Emmett's enormous Jeep and drive my Volvo the rest of the way today. I grudgingly agreed, only when Esme, my adopted mother, had given me the stare that all mothers had down pat.

I had closed my eyes almost instantly and that was when the dream began. It was like I was being sucked into an alternate universe where everything was upside down.

I hadn't woken up until my phone started going off at just after three this morning, breaking me out of the 'dream', actually at a good moment. I had the feeling that that was the end for me. Having a heart attack in the middle of the school cafeteria is not something I was too enticed by.

It was only when I answered the phone that I realised I was in the house. In the same room that I had picked out in the 'dream'.

_What the fuck_! Was the first thing that went through my mind, and then my attention was diverted back to the phone as it buzzed and blasted out Def Leppard's 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' into the silence of the house. I flipped it up quickly, hearing a panicky, yet muffled voice on the other end. I knew this number, but I'll be damned if it was who I was hoping it was.

The person had hung up quickly after mumbling that they must have the wrong number. All the time I was thinking _Bella! Please tell me you're Bella!_

_Stupid fuck! She probably doesn't even exist._ A part of me didn't want to register that though. It was like something inside was telling me to hang onto the feeling of contentment that the 'dream' had brought me.

After that I wasn't able to sleep so I decided to wander around the house, quietly making a note of the different things in the house. When I made it back up to my room, it was near enough seven o'clock and the sun was beginning to rise. I walked up to the window, my interest piqued when I noticed the lush vegetation at the first bend of the driveway moving slightly. Was there someone out there? I could see properly.

I pulled a tshirt over my head, rushing down the stairs and out the front door, only hearing the rumble of a truck as it disappeared down the driveway, too fast for me to follow before it made it's way onto the highway.

_I know that rumble anywhere_. I thought, licking my lips remembering her taste on my tongue.

I quickly got ready and dressed for school, impatiently waiting for my siblings to get ready. We would be taking my Volvo into school, for today at least. The other cars were a little oestentatious for the first day of school. No need to intimidate anybody.

I made it to the school in record time, and got out turning to face the bemused face of my sister, Alice.

"How did you know the way to the school without even glancing at the roads around it, Edward?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at me. _Fuck! Make something up!_

"It's not hard to find Alice." I rolled my eyes at her and she pouted. I turned away from her, not able to fight off her puppy pout.

"I _will_ get it out of you, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen." She said firmly as I moaned at the mention of my full name. The last time I'd heard that it had been in my 'dream' as Bella had practically attacked me after sending me to get some oranges and raspberry jam. Weird shit. "You _will_ tell me what's going on Edward. You've been weird all morning." _You think I'm going to tell you and wait for you to call the nice men in white coats? Sorry, Alice. Not gonna happen._

I ignored her and walked past her, making my way towards the registration office, following after Rose and Emmett, who had just finished one hell of a make-out session in the parking lot, claiming each other without actually having sex in front of the students. They might be adopted, as we all were, but hell, it was still creepy to watch. Even if it had been four years since they'd been going out.

Alice and Jasper were the same, apart from their relationship was intimate in a completely different way. When you were with them, it was like you were constantly intruding on a private moment.

And then there was me. Mr. Singleton. And I was more than happy to keep it that way for now. Unless Bella happened to turn up that is. My last girlfriend back in Chicago had been a handful to say the least, not really caring about anything apart from I was the hottest guy in the school and she had me on her arm. I didn't see myself as the hottest guy in school, but she did. I actually hated it when people commented or noticed my looks. Hated it.

This place was exactly how it had been in my 'dream'. Small and dull. If the classes in my 'dream' were anything like the actual classes here, then I was sure that I would be using the gun that my father kept for emergencies when we were in Chicago at some point. It wouldn't be necessary out here, but in Chicago, even in the nicest parts of the city, it was better to be safe than sorry.

As morning class passed I realised one thing: I was right.

The classes were boring and dull and I wanted nothing more than to sleep some more, the tiredness from this morning taking effect as I sat through hour after hour of drivel that I already knew.

The girls here were nothing short of annoying. They were persistent, I'll give you that. They must be extremely bored with what they already had, and it seemed that they were all drawn to me. I hated it.

When lunch came around, Alice suggested that we sit outside, seeing as it was sunny. I couldn't agree more with that statement. The cafeteria would be the one place that I was accosted and I didn't want that to happen. These girls here. A shiver passed down my body.

I had yet to see the one that I wanted to though. The red truck in the parking lot was taunting me from where I sat eating the lunch that Esme had prepared for us. She called it a good luck lunch. It tasted amazing, so we weren't complaining. I couldn't keep my eyes off of the red truck. It had every bump and scratch that I remembered it did. It's number plate was even the same, situated on the slightly wonky front bumper.

I found myself still hating it though.

As I walked to my fifth lesson: Biology, I made sure that I kept my head down. I didn't meet anyone's eye as I walked into the room and handed the slip I needed to to the teacher. Though I did notice that one particular girl: Jessica Stanley, who had creeped me out in the 'dream' and creeped my out now, was particularly happy that I was in this class with her.

The teacher pointed to a desk almost at the back of the class and I turned to face where he was pointing, my breath catching in my throat.

Sitting there, leaning over the desk in front of her was a slight girl with a thick wave of mahogany hair. _It couldn't be_. I thought as I forced my feet to move, making my way towards the girl at the desk. Her hair was covering her face, so I couldn't see properly.

She stiffened slightly as I sat down. She put her pen down on the desk and froze as though she was remembering something.

At that moment I was made acutely aware of her as she moved, her sweet scent hitting my nostrils like a long awaited for perfume. Strawberries and freesias. _It can't be_. I thought again, turning to look down at her.

She turned her face to look at me and I had to work to contain my gasp that threatened to escape as I gazed into the pair of chocolate orbs I had gotten lost in so many times before in my 'dream'.

As her eyes raked over my face, mine did the same, drinking in her every detail.

Her heart shaped face was the same as it had been in my 'dream'. Her eyes were slightly slanted, enhancing her beauty in my opinion. Her lips were slightly out of proportion, as I knew they would be, the top one slightly larger than it was supposed to be, parted in a look of surprise.

She couldn't be thinking the same thing I was, could she?

I saw recognition in her eyes and …… longing? Want?

She couldn't know me, could she? Not in the way I was thinking of anyway. There was no chance. At least that's what I'd thought before I heard the whisper escape her lips.

"_Edward_."

It wasn't so much the fact that she knew my name that caught me by surprise, seeing as everyone probably knew my name by now. It was the fact that it was whispered with such longing and …… love?

"Bella." I whispered before I could stop myself. Her eyes widened slightly, surprised at the fact I knew her name, because the teacher had called her 'Miss. Swan'.

"Is it really you?" She asked, her voice still a whisper, not taking her eyes off of mine.

Her hand inched its way towards mine and I instantly knew what she was looking for. That physical spark we shared each and every time our bodies touched. _Could she have had the same 'dream' as me?_ I wondered, my hand moving to meet hers.

I gasped and jumped slightly as my skin came into contact with hers, sending a shock through my system, larger than any time in the 'dream'. What did this mean? Was everything I felt in the 'dream' true?

I looked up at her to see that she was looking at me with a smile on her face.

"I dreamed that……" She whispered, looking down at the desk, her hand still touching mine, a constant flow of energy running between our connected skin.

I could understand how she wouldn't want to mention the dream.

I had an idea. Using one hand I pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper. For the next minute or so, while the teacher droned on about something or other at the front of the class, I drew the engagement ring I had bought for Bella in the 'dream'. If she recognised it, I would know that she had the same 'dream' as I did.

I wrote a single word underneath it, folded the paper and passed to her.

_Meadow_.

She opened it and her eyes grew wide, looking back up at me wit surprise on her face. She grinned at me and I could help but smile back.

This was the same Bella from my 'dream'.

Maybe it _did_ have some meaning.

Maybe it was telling me that she was the one for me.

Mrs. Isabella Marie Cullen.

Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

_**Hopefully this will appease some of you who were ………… less than pleased with the actual ending.**_

_**I know this is not the typical HEA you all wanted, but an HEA wouldn't have worked in this story. Every time I considered it, it felt fake and wrong.**_

_**I'm considering down a series of one-shots for this story, possibly continuing on from Losing Everything – a one shot detailing how Edward lost his parents. Let me know if you think this is a thumbs up/down idea. They can be anything you want (except another alternate ending). Missing scenes, elaborations on scenes etc. Let me know if you think that's a good idea.**_


	61. A N

**_It's an Author's Note._**

**_I'm sure that you're all probably tired of these by now, especially after my meg-bitch-fest in the previous chapter._**

**_So I'll keep this one as short as possible._**

**_Firstly, I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed and stuck by me through SE and AA._**

**_I know some of it was hard to read - and hard to write - but you stuck through it and that's more than I can ask of anyone. I'm still astonished that people actually sit down, read and enjoy my stories._**

**_Secondly, I want to say another HUGE thank you to everyone who gave me a kind or understanding review of the last two chapters. These two were incredibly hard to write, so having your support through them made me feel like I could do it, even if everyone else was after an HEA. And to those that told off/threatened those who left me hateful reviews thank you. They made me smile. Something I needed._**

**_Thirdly, some of you think that the alternate ending was a means to placate those sending me hateful reviews. I can assure you now that that is not the truth. I've have both of these endings written since before I posted Bella's return chapter, Chapter 54: Returning Home. I can see how it would seem that way, but I've had both of those written and was planning to post them both before I did. I don't like bowing to people's demands, even if they are hateful and spitefully written._**

**_Fourth, _****_I am going to be writing a series of one shots that detail certain periods or scenes that weren't given in both SE and AA. Some of you have been confused about various things, so I'm going to attempt to clear that up for you. They will be following on from my current one-shot 'Losing Everything', which details the day Edward's parents died. If you haven't read it, you can get to it from my profile and hopefully it'll answer some questions about that day._**

**__****_Fifth, _**I've been asked a lot about the twins, so I'm considering writing a short story - no more than ten chapters or so - about E.J. and Tuesday (who is named after a friend of mine. She helped encourage me to post SE in the first place. I know that a couple of you were wondering) and how they deal with things, life, not having a father etc. I'm not sure when I'll be posting it, if I do, as I want to get into the meat of a couple of other stories a little more before I do.

**_Fifth, this is the end!_**

**_There will not be a sequel to the alternate ending, because that is exactly what it is: an alternate._**

**_Saving Edward and Alive Again end with the epilogue (at least Edward and Bella's story does)._**

**_I know that some of you wanted me to post a story branching off the alternate ending, but if I do that then I won't be staying true to the characters I created in SE and AA._**

**_Lastly, voting for the Golden Chocolate Awards has opened, so please toddle on over there and vote for SE. Please. You know you want to. I'll love you forever if you do. :D_**

**_Thank you all so much for sticking with me over these two stories. They've taken a lot of work and hopefully you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it._**


	62. Reply To Laura's Anonymous Review

**Laura**

Normally, before I do this, I would take the reviewers opinions and feelings into consideration, but I'm leaving that good side of me at home today because there is only one thing I really want to say to you.

FUCK YOU!!

How dare you come all at it with the 'I've been there! You don't know!" crap, because you say that you've suffered and survived? Well, let me shed some light on a little shed of information for you hun, SO HAVE I!!

Before you become all high and mighty with your accusations of ignorance, you might want to look into something first. Do you really think that I would attempt to write a story like this if I hadn't experienced it?! Do really think I'm that foolish?! Obviously, you do, or else you would have thought about what you were going to say rather than spouting off all sorts of rubbish without knowing what the hell you're talking about.

Did you ever think that I might be writing from my own personal experince here? Of course not, because from what I can see, the emotions and opinions of no one else swam through your mind as you were writing your hateful reviews.

I know that not everyone with this illness dies. I'm _living_ proof of that. I wrote in the death at the end, because there is in fact a ten per cent mortality rate attached to the illness. As a final message to my readers I wanted to show that this illness is very real, that it can and _does_ kill.

You're right. Readers and reviewers can break or build a writer, and I am so thankful that there are so many people trying to build me up, because it makes those few that are trying to break me down even less significant. I thank them all because all of their wonderful comments washes away the hurtful and spiteful reviews that you have left. After reading so many kind and understanding reviews, the hurt that I felt after reading yours disappeared, when I realised that the opinion of someone willing to write something like that doesn't matter compared to the opinions of those who enjoy what I write.

Its words like yours and people like you that broke me down in the first place, and its people like the kind reviewers I have on here that helped to build me back up. There is only one person in my life who knows the full extent of what I've been through and I am so grateful to him every day. I don't know where I'd be without him - and yes, Dennis, I'm talking about you - but I can tell you that this story wouldn't have been finished. That's for sure.

I'm not expecting anyone to 'suck up to me' as you so eloquently put it. I've never asked for anything like that. Yes, I ask for people to give me their opinions - and when I say that I don't mean nasty words that can affect someone more than you know - but that is all. I would never ask for anyone to 'suck up to me'. That is not what I write for. I wrote this story to try and get a message across: that this is an illness and it is very real. A message that most of my readers - with the exception of an ignorant few - managed to find.

You say that you are not fifteen. Well, then, why are you acting like a child? Leaving a review like yours is neither adult nor conducive to the idea that you are in fact an adult. Might I suggest a little more eloquency in your reviews in future. It might prove your age. (And yes, I'm being patronising, you going to try to shoot me down for that too?)

I never said that HEA's were 'tripe'. I enjoy a good HEA as much as the next reader, but it would not have fit in with this story. Just because you want a story to have an HEA doesn't mean it'll have one. It would have completely screwed with the rest of the story to have an HEA at the end. If I had, Edward might have survived, but as you claim to know, he would have struggled every day, a black cloud hanging over him threatening to pour and pull him back into that world again. I know, because I live with that same black cloud hanging over my head every single day.

My advice is, in future, before you start spouting off the whole 'You don't know what you're talking about! You have no idea!' rubbish, update your knowledge bank about the person you wish to accuse of ignorance. It might come back to bite you in the arse.

If you do wish to reply, then maybe you should look past your own judgements and clear you mind before accusing someone of ignorance.

You have no right to accuse me of ignorance because I know. I know all too well what it's like. I know what it's like not to eat for four days, trying desperately to ignore that ever present ache in your stomach, and when you do eat, it's not nearly enough to sustain you, but you feel as though it is too much and do whatever it takes to rid yourself of it. I know what it is like to pass out each time you stand up, to have your hair start to fall out, to lose all of your friends because you can't seem to trust them, or at least trust yourseld around them. I know what it is like so don't you dare play that card with me!

I am not a child. I do not need to have someone tell me what I do and do not know. I know far more than others of my age do. Make of this message what you will but if you have anything to say, don't do it in my reviews. I don't need someone who thinks the way your reviews show that you do commenting on my work.

If I were to be calling people suffering from this 'frail fodder' then I would be insulting myself. You are ridiculous in your assumptions, because if you'd really read it, you would know that that is not the case anywhere in my stories.

You don't like them? The solution is simple. Don't read them!

That's all I have to say for now, because if I don't stop typing soon, I'm going to break the keys to my laptop, you've pissed me off that much. And it takes a lot to get under my skin.

twiXlite

**_I'm sorry if this offended anyone. It was only meant to address the one who left the hurtful review. Anyone else feeling offended then I'm sorry._**


	63. Support Stacie

**_Not an update. Sorry about that._**

**_But I want to let you all know to start saving and counting any pennies you have left over_**

**_because the Support Stacie Auction will be on from the 11th Sept - 14th Sept_**

**_and you guessed it, if you want me to, I can write you your very own imaginings._**

**_You all know its for a good cause, so head on over and check out what I'm offering at_**

http://majiksfanfic(dot)com/phpbb/viewtopic(dot)php?f=115&t=2641&p=52196&hilit=twiXlite#p52196

**_There are loads of authors on auction so click on the icon at the top labelled 'Twlight Auctions' and it'll lead you through to them_**

**_You know you want to help out._**

**_And you get a story at the end of it, so it's win win._**

**_^_^_**


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